


Adrien AUG-Reste 2019

by Jarl_Deathwolf



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-07-29 00:57:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 23,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20073496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarl_Deathwolf/pseuds/Jarl_Deathwolf
Summary: This is a series of one-shots dedicated to the sunshine prince himself, Adrien Agreste! Stories will generally remain fluffy, light-hearted, and positive, though there will be some sadness and angst scattered throughout. The Love Square will feature heavily.





	1. Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! I was originally torn about whether I wanted to do a sixth month of prompts in a row, but I ultimately decided that with all the salt (and Adrien salt especially) floating around, there needed to be some fluff to help counter it. I hope you enjoy as we start another month-long adventure!

With one last look into the mirror to make sure his hair wasn’t looking too ‘Chat-like’, Adrien stepped outside and got into the car. It was a constant threat with his hair getting longer and more unmanageable, but once his seventeenth birthday rolled around in a month, he’d get it cut. He’d only even let it get this long because of the summer photoshoots. 

“The Dupain-Cheng bakery, please,” he told the Gorilla. 

These last couple months had been rough. Summer usually was, since it was the time all the new lines came out. Between the extra output of the Agreste brand and Adrien’s lack of school-related excuses, he found himself frequently getting roped into photoshoots. It ended up being one every other day at the worst, which was always difficult to cram into his schedule with his other obligations. But Nathalie and his father made sure that he would be able to make it to the essentials. 

Unfortunately, they did not consider time with friends to be essential.

At least, not until he sat down and refused to go to a _particularly_ important swimwear photoshoot just last month. He didn’t get much out of that protest, but he got what he was hoping for - time to go to Marinette’s birthday party. His father might be able to keep him from hanging out from day to day, but he wasn’t about to let anyone stop him from celebrating something so important. Which all lead up to him having the first completely clear day that he had gotten all summer. A day that he was going to spend at Marinette’s.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when the car stopped. Adrien peaked out the window to see they had reached their destination. Grabbing his backpack and yelling thanks over his shoulder, he clambered out of the car and made his way inside. 

The sweet scent of pastries filled the air and he took a moment to take a deep breath after entering the shop. He was about to look through what they were selling when a woman’s voice rang out.

“Sorry, sir, but we’re closed right now and-” Adrien made eye contact with the woman, who turned out to be Marinette’s mother. “Oh, hello dear! I didn’t know that you’d be visiting today.” There was a faintly amused tone to her voice. “You can head upstairs, that’s where the others are.”

Adrien smiled, but he wrung the strap of his backpack as he climbed the stairs. It had only just now occurred to him that he hadn’t actually been formally invited, at least not by Marinette. Alya and Nino had told him about, and Alya had encouraged him to show up, but Marinette herself had never broached the topic with him. He was just so used to Nathalie RSVP-ing for him that he didn’t even think that maybe this time they’d just let him fend for himself. Which made some amount of sense after the tantrum he threw just to come here. 

More concerning was that Marinette’s room wasn’t very big - he’d expected this was an entire class (minus one or two people) event. But they definitely couldn’t fit everyone in there. Had he just accidentally invited himself over, and was about to crash a private birthday party? He hesitated at the top of the stairs. There was still time to just leave.

Above him, there was a chorus of giggling and excited talking. He felt a sudden wave of yearning - it had been months since he had gotten to hang out with anyone in person. Online gaming could only give him so much of the social contact he craved. Pushing aside his doubts, he knocked on the trapdoor. The giggling faded, exchanged with murmuring. 

“It’s probably just my parents with the snacks,” came Marinette’s voice. More loudly, she said, “Come in!” 

Adrien lifted the door and six faces turned to him. He recognized them all - Alix, Alya, Mylene, Rose, Juleka, and, of course, Marinette - but that was given. What was more surprising was their reactions to him, with only Alya being unphased. It ranged from curiosity (Juleka, Alix), to shock (Mylene, Rose), all the way up to down-right _horror_ (Marinette). No doubt because of the magazine featuring his most recent shoot in her hands. 

“Hey, everybody! I heard that there was a party, but…” he glanced around at the wordless stares the girls were giving him. “...if you want, I can just leave…?”

Suddenly there was a flurry of words as everyone began speaking over each other. He couldn’t really make out what anyone in particular said, but he got a vague sense of them being opposed to it as they rushed up to grab him. After a few very active moments, he was suddenly seated next to Marinette, who was blushing furiously. 

There was a stack of five presents beside him, with only Alya not being represented in the name tags. While he tried to figure out why Marinette’s best friend wouldn’t have brought her anything, she prodded his shoulder.

“Hey. Sunshine. You got here just in time. We were just about to start some truth or dare...”


	2. Feathers

It might not have been his best idea. He wasn’t even sure how the four of them had ended up in the pet store anyway, given that none of them had pets. Which made it all the weirder when Adrien bought a cat toy, a stick with a string and at the end of that string a ball with feathers - fake ones, of course. He had told them that it was because sometimes he saw cats at the photoshoots, and sometimes he saw them in the streets. 

It wasn’t… entirely a lie. Even if the ‘cat’ he was thinking about was only technically a cat. After all, how many felines embodied the forces of destruction? And could float and talk?

Things weren’t quite working how he had planned though.

“Kid, what the hell?” Plagg crossed his little arms and glared at him. “I’m not some normal cat. I’m a kwami! A kwami! You hear me?”

Adrien could in fact not hear him, mostly by choice and partly because of the little bells on the toy that he was jingling near Plagg. He’d never had a pet before, so he wasn’t sure what was _supposed_ to work, but then again, would any of that even be applicable now?

“What even is this stuff?” Plagg sniffed at the toy. “Catnip?” He snickered. “That has more of an impact on you than me, kid.”

“C’mon, Plagg! We never do anything together, and I’m sure you could use the exercise.”

“Yeah? Here I was thinking that making you into a superhero was enough bonding to last me our partnership.” A grin split his face, undercutting the slight venom in his words.

Adrien frowned before being struck with an idea. He rushed over to his personal refrigerator and pulled out a little bit of camembert, rubbing it against the toy. Returning to a bemused Plagg, he tried again.

“I told you kid, I’m not-” He sniffed the air. “Ooo, what smells so… delicious…” Plaggs eyes widened as he moved toward the toy. Adrien jerked it away, causing Plagg to go zipping after it. After a few minutes of this, the kwami was laying on his back, biting at the feathers while kicking at the jiggling ball. 

For the first time in their friendship, Adrien wished he could take a picture of Plagg.


	3. Just A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien spends a day hanging out with his very good friend Marinette.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and not just because he got to spend the day with one of his favorite friends. He’d managed to get out of his usual weekend routine of early morning photoshoots by convincing his father that he needed to help Marinette with a school project - one that would require them to go shopping all day. Truly, Adrien’s hands were tied. 

None of that was, technically speaking, a lie. He’d simply left out the fact that he’d practically jumped at the chance to volunteer for this outing. While he certainly would have been happy to go with most of his other classmates, he was particularly happy that he ended up going with Marinette. They very rarely got a chance to spend time alone together. Maybe it would help her open up more to him. She always did seem like she wasn’t fully comfortable around him.

He felt a tug on his sleeve, bringing him out of his daydreaming. Marinette wasn’t looking at him, and was instead squinting to look through the window of a store they were in front of.

“I th-think we can get the right kind of fabrics here,” she said with barely a stutter. He got the distinct feeling that having something else to focus on was helping her with whatever usually made her such a mess around him. Not that he minded when she stumbled with her words - he found it endearing most days. 

“After you,” he said as he opened the door for her. He idly ran his fingers along the reams of fabric. “So, which of these catches your eye?”

It was a tactic he’d picked up on quickly. If the silence stretches on for too long, he could always ask her about fashion to get her talking. She took the distraction gratefully and jumped into a long discussion on the merits of the different brands. Most of it went over his head, but he was always glad to listen to her talk about something she was passionate about. It was one of many reasons why he enjoyed her company so much. 

After they’d gotten the supplies for the project, it was about lunch time. There was an Italian restaurant that Adrien was fond of close by. He had to practically drag her to it. Not because she didn’t like the food - she was excited when he first mentioned it - but rather because of the price. Somehow, his offer to pay for her meal only made her more reluctant, but she gave in eventually.

After they gave their order, there was a moment where a waitress walked past carrying what looked like their meal. They sat up in anticipation, only for her to walk right past them and drop the food off at another table. While Adrien was frowning in disappointment, Marinette turned to him and said:

“I guess you could say that was an… _im-pasta_!” She flashed him a smile and turned away, failing to see the blush that had flared across his face.

He swallowed heavily and considered that maybe - just maybe - if Marinette could pull this kind of reaction out of him… she might be more than just a friend.


	4. Lucky Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is nervous before a big performance.

Adrien peeked out from behind the curtain to look out at the sea of tuxedos and dresses. It was hard to pick out any details because of the dim lighting, but he liked to believe he could see the excited smile on Marinette’s face in the front row. It wasn’t quite the fashion show he had promised, but he was hoping a high class party and a piano recital would be just as good in her mind. 

His eyes were drawn to the wide open stage, barren except for the piano he was to play tonight. The only light in the room was pointed toward it, bathing it in illumination and making the sleek black body shine. He retreated from the curtain and took a big, shuddering breath. He’d been practicing for years now, but he’d rarely ever performed for other people before. Maybe sometimes for business associates that his father would have over, but nothing like this. The idea scared him. Every time he ever played for his father alone, he always managed to find faults in his playing. Would tonight be any different? Was he about to make an absolute fool of himself in front of all these people?

Was he about to embarrass himself in front of Marinette?

His stuck his hands in his pockets, eyes widening as they struck something. He pulled the charm Marinette had given him back during the game tournament. He smiled wistfully as he ran his fingers over it. It was simple, but he’d always thought it was beautiful. It also didn’t match his designer outfit. At least, that’s the reason his father had given for not letting him wear it to today’s function. In a moment of teenage rebellion, Adrien secured it to his wrist and tugged his sleeve to mostly cover it. Only those close to him would understand what it was.

Well, close to the stage, at least. Though, admittedly, only one person in that crowd would know what it was. 

A stagehand approached him. “It’s time for you to start, sir.”

Adrien nodded, his fear already ebbing away. The only person whose opinion mattered to him out there had given him that lucky charm, and now he realized there was no way she’d think any less of him if he messed up a little. With that in mind, he confidently stepped out onto the stage. It was… different, being in front of that many people. The heat from the light was sweltering as he forced himself to walk confidently towards the piano. He risked a look into the audience and found himself looking into bright blue eyes. Marinette was smiling up at him like he was the sun in the sky as she held her fists up to her chest in excitement. 

He smiled back and waved at her with the hand that had the charm on it. Her eyes widened, but his attention was drawn back to the moment as he sat down and began to play.


	5. Partners

The two of them landed on a rooftop, far from the prying eyes and probing questions of the reporters that had converged on the site of their latest victory. Adrien looked out over the city that they had saved yet again today. It was a beautiful vista, but as he turned towards his partner, he reflected that most views were beautiful when she was around. 

“Good job out there, kitty,” she said as she flicked the bell just under his chin. 

“And you were _spot on_ as usual, m’lady.” He grinned at her. “It’s not often we can bring down an akuma without using our powers. What do you say about spending that extra time hanging out?”

“You’ve got awful luck as always. I’ve got to rush back to what I was doing if I’m going to finish what I need to get done today.”

“Atrociously vague, bugaboo.” He pouted. “Are you sure you aren’t just making excuses to leave me out in the cold?”

“You’ll be fine, Chat.”

“What was that?” He cupped a hand to his ear, leaning towards her theatrically. “I couldn’t hear you, since I’m dying from lack of attention.”

“Why does that make it harder to hear?”

“They say hearing is the first thing to go.” He paused. “I mean, what did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

With a playful roll of her eyes, she took a seat on the roof. She leaned back on her elbows and stretched out her legs. “I suppose I can spare some time for my favorite partner. Just enough to make sure you’re feeling better, of course.”

“Of course.” He took a seat beside her. Close, but not so close as to make her uncomfortable. 

They sat in a comfortable silence, basking in each other’s company in a rare peaceful moment. That was his only real complaint about his time with Ladybug - almost every time they saw each other, there was some sense of urgency behind it. She didn’t appreciate him making casual conversation in the middle of a fight, after all. And they were too mobile to say much during their sporadic patrols.

It wasn’t much, and it didn’t last long, but he enjoyed the time they spent like that. Just watching the sun begin to sink over the horizon with the person he loved most. When she eventually got up, he followed her lead and gave her a kiss on the hand. She rolled her eyes like always but didn’t pull away. When she left, he simply waved, knowing that he’d been lucky even to get this much time with her today.

A quiet sense of pride stirred in his chest. They might never get together, but he was glad to have such a wonderful partner - and an amazing friend.


	6. Cardboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien helps out in the art classroom.

The art club room was an unfamiliar space for Adrien, but the people diligently at work around his table weren’t. Mylene was humming a song that he wasn’t familiar with, Juleka was painting bats made from cardboard, and Rose was at work painting the sections that they had prepared for her. This wasn’t exactly his usual group, but they had been pretty friendly towards him so far. Even if they didn’t have much in common to talk about. 

When he volunteered to help with the student play, he hadn’t expected that they would have him working on backgrounds. Not that he wasn’t willing to give it his all, he just… wasn’t really artistically inclined. Still, measuring out sections and cutting them for Rose didn’t take much skill on his part. And he enjoyed being a part of something. He just wished he could take part in their conversations…

“Hey, Adrien?”

“Yes?” He answered, too quickly. He winced. “Sorry.”

Mylene giggled before continuing. “It’s alright. I was just going to ask - how often do you have free time?” She squared the next piece of cardboard in front of her as she began the next piece. “I just hear that you are always so busy, and, well, I was wondering if that was really true or…”

“Oh! Well, father keeps my schedule pretty full, but I usually get some time to do what I want every other week or so.” He frowned at the cutouts stacked in a neat pile beside him. “Well.. I can’t do _anything_ I want. I usually need permission, but that’s not too unusual…” He looked around at the three girls expectantly. “...Right?”

There was a chorus of lukewarm agreement. 

“Right. So… yeah. I have some free time sometimes, but not a lot. Chinese lessons, fencing, photoshoots… I stay busy outside class.” He made a few snips.

He caught a flash of Rose leaning towards Juleka, whispering something to her. 

“Um. What do you do with that time off?” She smirked. “I can’t imagine you’d choose to spend it locked up at home.”

“Nope! I like to hang out with my friends.” His eyes widened. “Not that I don’t consider you all to be my friends! I just-”

The girls giggled. Juleka continued, “It’s alright to have a few close friends, sunshine. It doesn’t bother us.” Mylene and Rose nodded in agreement. 

“Good… good.” Adrien relaxed.

“So who _do_ you hang out with?”

Adrien tilted his head. He thought that would be pretty obvious. “Well… it used to be just me and Nino a lot. Then Nino started dating Alya, and Marinette is kind of a package deal with her, so… us four, I suppose.” He smiled. “It’s nice. They’ve been good to me, and they’re great friends.”

He caught a glance between Mylene and Rose, some brief smiles. 

Rose was by his side in an instant, looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “How do you feel about Marinette?!”

He blinked down at her before really thinking about the question. “Well… she’s awesome, that’s for sure. Confident, most of the time. She isn’t afraid to stand up for people - or _to_ people, if she needs to. Not to mention that she’s really talented - the hat she made for my show was great! Even my father approved of it, and trust me, that’s not easy to do.”

Mylene shared a concerned look with Juleka, but Rose was unphased. “What else do you like about her?”

“Um… she’s pretty.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I liked how she does her hair, it’s very cute. Although once she was at this event and she had it up in a bun-”

“Oh yeah, that used to be her go to hairstyle for a few years. She said it kept the hair out of her face when she was doing design work.”

Adrien nodded. “Adorable _and_ practical. Just like her. Oh!” Now that he was thinking about it, the compliments became easier to come up with. “And her eyes, they’re so bright and expressive.” He took a deep breath, trying not to gush. “She’s just… beautiful, you know?”

Rose and Juleka nodded sagely. Mylene was looking behind him at the door, slightly panicked.

“Oh, uh... hey, Marinette! Are you here to pick up the props?”

Adrien rested his arm on the back of his chair to turn around. Sure enough, Marinette was standing in the doorway. While Adrien was sure there was a dusting of red on his cheeks - he had just been singing her praises, and who knows how long she had been there - that was nothing in comparison to how red Marinette’s face was. 

“I- Adrien- Props… yes?”

He chuckled and gathered the ones they had finished to give to her. It quickly became clear that they had actually made a lot more than he had suspected. 

“Don’t worry! I’ll help you take these to the stage.” Adrien gave some of the finished pieces to Marinette, while holding onto most of them himself. She took them mechanically, mouth wide open as she stared wide eyed into space. He tugged at her sleeve to get her moving.

After walking for a few minutes, Adrien broke the silence by clearing his throat and asking, “So, ah… how much of that did you hear?”

“M-most of it…” She admitted. 

“Ah.”

A few beats of silence passed.

“Did you… did you mean it?”

He didn’t have to consider what she was asking - he had meant every word. “Of course! You’re pretty great, after all.”

The blush returned in full force, and Adrien felt the heat spread across his face too. She bumped shoulders with him, and gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat. 

“Y-You’re awesome too, Adrien.”


	7. uwu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chat Noir dials up the cute to help Ladybug feel better

It was just luck that he’d seen her at all. 

He had just so happened to be stretching his legs after a few hours spent studying and finishing his Chinese homework. Standing by the window, he saw a flash of bright red on a distant rooftop, standing out starkly against the weary darkness of late autumn. He was frozen there for a moment, transfixed and starry eyed at that fleeting, blessed glimpse at the girl he loved most in the world. 

But then the gears in his mind started to turn. It wasn’t a patrol night for either of them. He checked his phone. There were no akuma alerts. So the usual reasons for her to be out in the spots weren’t valid. Ladybug never liked being out in the cold, but she _did_ go on random runs sometimes… 

When she was hurting.

“Plagg, claws out!”

Soon he was doing his best to follow in her footsteps, heading off blindly in the direction that she had gone while pulling up the tracker on his baton. It was night, so he had the advantage with his keener senses. Not to mention that he wasn’t nearly as impacted by the cold as she was. The very thought spurred him on - it had to have been a bad day for her if she had decided to go out despite the chill. It turns out that he hadn’t needed to hurry. She had stopped to sit on a lonely roof, hidden from prying eyes. At least, prying eyes from the streets. She stood out like a goddess on Earth from his vantage point.

A goddess who had her knees drawn up to her chest and seemed to be fighting tears, he noted with a stab of sorrow to his heart.

She barely reacted to his presence when he landed in front of her. Hardly more than a glance in his direction as he sat down, her eyes immediately looking in the opposite direction. As if he’d simply go away if she ignored him. There were many things he admired about his lady, but one of the few things that he didn’t was how she’d rather bottle up her pain and sorrow rather than ‘inflict’ them on others. No matter how much he insisted that he wanted to help her.

“Bugaboo… I can tell something’s wrong. Do you want to talk about it?”

Silence.

“I see.” He sighed. “Well, you’ve forced me to use the big guns now. I hope you’re happy.”

She only had time to shoot him a bemused look before he was leaning towards her. Then he started talking in an over-the-top cutesy voice.

“Oh, hewwo waddybug.” She groaned, but he pressed on. “Won’t you _pwease_ tell me what’s wrong? This poor kitty just wants to help uwu. I would be vewwy sad if you just ignored me.”

She was snickering now, some emotion returning to her face. He noticed her faint shiver and moved close to her as he continued. Each line brought her closer and closer to cracking up until she was reduced to tears in laughter. He was fully prepared to continue the assault when she pressed a finger to his lips.

“No… that’s enough, chaton. You win.” She settled in against him and rested her head against his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around herself. When his arm wrapped around her waist to bring her closer, she didn’t seem to mind. “...Are you sure you want to hear about it?” She tilted her head up to look at him.

“Of course, lovebug! I’m always here for you. That’s what partners are for, right?”

“Right,” she said fondly. She took a deep breath and looked ahead again. “So there’s this girl in my class who always lies…”


	8. Cat Tendencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just hangin' out on the balcony.

The sun was shining bright and warm, not a cloud in the sky. The faint breeze carried the scent of flowers on it, flowers that took up most of the space on this balcony. Tucked inside the miniature jungle was a pair of armless lounge chairs with a table between them. 

There were plenty of memories attached to such simple furniture - late autumn nights with a blanket shared between them, staring up at the black skies. Rainy days when they’d set up the lawn umbrella and listen to the patter of drops falling all around them, the fresh smell of a rainstorm. Quiet moments in winter, with a pair of mugs of hot chocolate placed between them. All these memories shared a uniting theme - Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

As if thinking about her was enough to summon her, his cat ears twitched as the skylight opened. Her perfume mingled with the scent of the flowers and a smirk tugged at his lips. He still hadn’t opened his eyes, still hadn’t moved from his relaxed position with his hands behind his head, tail beating a slow but constant rhythm against his lounge chair. The sunlight bathed him, kept him warm and slow and deeply content. Her presence was the cherry on top, the last thing to complete this perfect, lazy Sunday. 

He could hear her moving around the balcony, no doubt taking care of her many plants. They’d long since decided that with his luck, it would be best to leave the gardening to her, no matter how willing he was to help her out. To perhaps no one’s surprise, it turns out that a green thumb does not come with the miraculous of destruction. 

After she presumably finished with what she was doing, there was some scraping sounds. He placed it immediately - the table was moved aside, and he felt the lounge chairs being moved together. His smirk evolved into a full-on grin just moments before her hand was tangled in his hair, scratching just behind his cat ears. He arched his back as he leaned into the touch, stretching his entire body to get closer. She pulled her hand back and he finally opened his eyes to pout at her properly. Instead of making her feel bad, she simply laughed and pulled him closer to her. 

“Alright, you big baby, come here.”

He rested his head in her lap and felt shivers go down his spine as she unleashed the fabled two-handed head scritches technique. 

“You know, this isn’t exactly normal for a relationship.”

“It is for _my_ relationships,” he rolled over so that he was looking up at her. 

“And how many of those have you had…?” She raised an eyebrow in mock challenge. 

“Plenty! I _am_ the most desired man in Paris, after all.”

“Ah, so I’m your first then.” She giggled at his indignant look. “That’s okay, Adrien. It’s the same with me. Unless you count a two week fling with Kim when I was seven.”

His chuckle came out warbled when she finally coaxed the purring out of him. 

“There’s what I was looking for,” she murmured. “Want to drop your transformation and watch a couple movies tonight? I’m ahead of my design work for the week.”

“There’s nothing I would love more, bugaboo. Claws in.”


	9. Catastrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Adrien finds himself in an embarrassing situation, who is he going to call?

Adrien moved as swiftly as good manners would allow, keeping himself as well hidden as possible while he slipped out of the well dressed, high-society crowd. His only hope would be to escape unseen and call for help. While he could keep his expression schooled into a mask of polite indifference, he couldn’t be stopped without being found out. Thankfully, the drinks had started flowing well over an hour ago and most people were too engrossed with being tipsy to pay attention to one man slinking off into the abandoned side halls of the mansion. 

Once he was safely inside his guest room, he slammed and locked the door behind him. A sigh of relief escaped him as he tried to figure out how he could get himself out of this. There wasn’t a spare - why would he have needed one? As was often the case in these circumstances, his mind wandered to the one person he could trust to get him out of anything: Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

She probably wouldn’t appreciate being dragged from whatever she was doing at nine in the evening just to go across town. And he’d need to sneak her in. Hm… the Gorilla should be nearby. He’d met Marinette, he’d be able to vouch for her at the gate. 

With a cobbled together plan in mind, Adrien hastily sent Marinette a text. Just as he pressed send, Plagg woke up from his hiding spot in his luggage.

“Hey, kid. What are you doing back so early-” The kwami cut himself off with his own cackling, causing Adrien’s ears to heat up in embarrassment. 

Marinette needed to get here… and soon. 

\-------------------

Marinette was halfway to raising a fistful of popcorn to her mouth when her phone dinged. She tore her eyes away from the bad rom com that Alya was making her watch to see who would be texting her at this hour. Her eyes widened when she saw Adrien’s name beside ‘new text.’ Curious, she scarfed down the popcorn as she opened the message.

**Adrien:** Help! Plz bring sewing kit to gala. Hurry! Plz!!

A few other messages followed, detailing how he intended to get her to him, and where he was presently hiding. 

She read the messages in silence. The two of them had been pretty good friends even after leaving lycee, but they’d been dancing around each other for a while now. Maybe this would be what could finally help her break through to him?

“Hey, M? Who was that?” Alya, her best friend turned roommate, squinted at the screen that Marinette turned towards her. She gained a predatory grin as she leapt up, snagging her best friends wrist as she did so. “Hell yes! This is perfect! Do you have a dress you can use?” She shook her head. “What am I saying? Of course you do! Probably some hot little number that you made yourself.”

“Alya! I can’t just- I mean, I’m going to help him yeah, but I don’t think we can get ready in-”

“That’s quitter talk, girl!” She threw open the door to Marinette’s bedroom. “Tikki! We need all hands on deck, even the tiny ones. Our princess is going to the ball!”

\---------------------------

Marinette checked the room number Adrien had provided and glanced up at the number on the door in front of her. Satisfied that she wasn’t about to bother a stranger, she knocked on the door and waited. The door slightly cracked open and one bright green eye peeked out at her. 

“H-hi?” She waved sheepishly and from what little she could see of his face, Adrien seemed relieved. There wasn’t much time to enjoy that, however, since he lunged forward and pulled her into the room before closing it behind her.

Stumbling past him into the room, she blinked owlishly at a pair of fancy dress pants laid out on the bed in front of her. Typical Gabriel attire - nice to look at (most of the time), but rips under a harsh stare. One of many reasons she’d come to dislike her childhood idol. Then the gears started turning in her mind. If those were his pants then…

She turned around without thinking and saw bright red with black spots standing out proudly against the sleek style of a fancy suit. Her heart fluttered and she couldn’t help but giggle at the obvious homage to her alter ego. Adrien cleared his throat and her gaze were drawn a bit higher. His tomato red face and inability to meet her eyes replaced her euphoria with sympathy.

“So, ah, can you fix it?” He rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes flickered to hers. 

She scoffed. “The pants? Definitely, that won’t be a problem.” She pulled out her travel sewing kit and approached the ripped clothes.

He let out a sigh of relief. “You’re awesome as always, Marinette.” She heard him sit down somewhere behind her as she worked. 

“You know…” He began uncertainly. “You c-could stick around? If you want, of course. Not that I think you’re not busy tonight! But, well, you’re already dressed for the part, so I don’t think anyone would mind.”

She raised an eyebrow, despite the fact that was still facing his pants. “I think they’d mind since I don’t have an invitation and all.”

“Not if you’re... well… my date?”

She jumped - both at the offer and how it made her prick her finger. “Are you sure?”

“Definitely!” Some confidence returned to his voice. “These things can be pretty boring, but you being here would make it go by so much quicker.” He must have taken her giddy silence as uncertainty since he added, “And I could introduce you to some fashion industry people! Please? I’d love it if you could stay!”

Well… how could she say no to that?


	10. Abandon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner at the Agreste household.

Adrien stabbed disinterestedly at the remaining food on his plate. A notification sound drew his attention to Nathalie. After consulting her tablet, she frowned and crossed the room. 

“Your father has chosen to dine in his office,” she said as she took the full plate of food placed in front of Gabriel’s spot off the table. “There are important matters that he needs to attend to.”

With one last glance at the door to his father’s study, Adrien sighed and stood up. Just another dinner alone, nothing that he hadn’t gotten used to over the past year. Neither Nathalie nor the Gorilla made any attempt to talk with him as he went back to his room. Neither would so much as meet his eye.

He closed the door behind him and collapsed face first onto his bed. If this was the way it had been for his entire life, maybe he’d feel differently. 

But it hadn’t always been this way.

Once there had been laughter and warmth. They’d all met at the table without fail - even if his father had to do it over a skype call. There had been jokes, there had been talking. He knew what was happening in his family’s lives, even if he didn’t know what was happening outside the walls of his home. He hadn’t minded - his family had been enough for him. 

At least, until he didn’t have a family any more. Not really, anyway.

His father and him would have dinner a few times afterwards. They were always quiet affairs, no noise save for the clinking of forks against plates. Sometimes Adrien would try to strike up a conversation, but it never lasted. Soon he had given up. Then the dinners became fewer and farther between. And then?

Adrien was alone. 

No more laughter. No more warmth. 

Just Adrien and the cold, empty silence.


	11. Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fateful meeting, the start of a long friendship.

Emilie Agreste listened disinterestedly as her husband spoke with a business associate of his. Or maybe she was a good friend of his. With Gabe, it was always difficult to certain, but Emilie was at least aware that Audrey was partially responsible for his career taking off as quickly as it did. Which she was deeply grateful for - watching her love’s dreams come true practically overnight had been a happy time for both of them. 

A happy time that had resulted in another proud moment of her life, she thought as her eyes were drawn back to her four year old son. Poor Adrien was playing with his toy cars by himself, but that was hardly out of the ordinary. The fact didn’t seem to bother him as much as it did her, but she knew that was because he’d hardly ever gotten to interact with other children. It was always either nannies or her. Sometimes he’d be brought along, like today, to a casual meeting with Gabriel’s business associates, but that only meant that he’d have to be quiet and out of the way. Traits which would no doubt serve him well, if Gabe got his way. 

Her attention was drawn away when the door to the luxurious hotel room opened. Audrey’s husband - Was it Alex or Andre? - stepped in, looking frayed around the edges. She hardly had time to blink at him before the reason for his haggard appearance became clear. A young girl - about little Adrien’s age - rushed past the hotel tycoon. She was clutching several dolls, including a well loved teddy bear as she looked around the room imperiously. Her eyes widened as they landed on Adrien. 

The little girl rushed over to him, a huge grin on her face. Emilie smiled as she watched the child’s uneasy steps and wide grin. She felt like interfering, but curiosity proved stronger. Despite how much she pushed for it, Adrien rarely got the chance to meet other children. She wondered how he would react, especially to someone so… brash.

At first, Adrien seemed scared when the girl rushed him and started talking loudly. His hesitation slowly melted away as the girl practically forced herself into his little make believe world. The conversation drew her back in for a few minutes and when she looked back, the two of them were playing with both the cars and the dolls. It warmed her heart to see Adrien looking more lively than ever, being pushed out of his comfort zone. 

Emilie hoped that this was the start of a long and happy friendship… even as she worried that it might be the only friendship he’d be allowed.


	12. Tattoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien hangs out with the Boys.

There wasn’t a lot of time left. They promised that they’d wait for him, but that was half an hour ago. Adrien knew that they wanted to start walking through the fair as soon as possible, and he also knew that it wasn’t that uncommon for him to have to bail on them at the last minute. They had every right in the world to expect this to be just another one of those times. 

But it wasn’t. Sure, his father had _tried_ to make it one of those times, but Adrien was sick of it. Just for today, Adrien was going to do what he wanted to do. 

His mood lifted when he saw the four of them standing around on the bridge. Ivan and Nathaniel were looking over Nathaniel’s sketchbook, and Nino was listening to his music with his earphones around his neck. Only Kim seemed the least bit upset, but that was probably more because Kim didn’t like to be still for very long no matter what he was doing. It looked like not everybody could make it, which brought a small frown to his face. 

“Hey, guys,” Adrien said, out of breath. 

“Sup, dude! What took so long? You almost look like you had to run all the way here!” Nino chuckled, but stopped when Adrien shot him a nervous smile. “No way, dude! Did you seriously sneak out?”

“Well, I wasn’t about to miss a day with you guys, right? I’m tired of letting my father make last minute changes to my schedule.”

“Nice, dude,” Nino replied as he held up his fist. Adrien bumped it gratefully. “Sticking it to the old man is always something I can approve of.” 

While Adrien snickered, Ivan chimed in. “Well, it’s great that you could show. Been a while since we’ve all gotten to hang out.” He waved them on as he started to trudge through the crowd. “Now come on, I heard there’s a Zombie Skull Crushers merch tent set up.”

As they followed in Ivan’s wake, Adrien noticed that Nathaniel seemed to be watching him carefully. “Something the matter, Nath?”

“So, uh, your dad has been pretty rough on you lately?” 

Adrien blinked at the question before letting his shoulders sag. “Yeah, he’s kinda controlling most of the time, but he’s been especially tough these last couple months. I love him and all but… it’s really frustrating.”

“Frustrating enough for mister goody two shoes himself to break out of his prison house,” Kim interjected with a grin. “How’d you even pull that off, anyway? Your room isn’t exactly close to the ground.”

“I’ve got plenty of experience rock climbing, and slipping out the window isn’t that hard in comparison.” Granted, most of his climbing experience these days was done in the heat of battle or in chasing Ladybug during patrol, but the indoor rock wall was a good excuse.

Nino threw an arm around Adrien, pride in his voice, “My bro is a dude of many talents. And weird habits. You’ve heard of laughing in the face of danger? Well, Adrien _showers_ in the face of danger.” He grinned. “He’s just badass like that.”

Everyone laughed while Adrien just groaned. “That was one time, dude! It’s not like- I don’t jump in the shower every time I hear there is an akuma attack!”

“Well, maybe you do.” Kim tapped at his chin. “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you during an akuma attack…”

“So, Nath, why were you asking about my dad?” Adrien was quick to change the subject, much to Nathaniel’s surprise. 

“Oh! Um, I was just thinking that if this is the start of a teenage rebellion thing, we could go all the way with that.”

Adrien tilted his head at him. “And that means…?”

“I know someone who is running a temporary tattoo booth at the fair. We could get you something that’ll last a few days.”

“I don’t know…”

“Dude!” Nino’s hand was on his shoulder. “We could get matching tats! It’d be great!” His grin proved infectious and soon Adrien was getting excited too. “What are you thinking? Something badass, right?”

With his modeling career, he’d never even considered tattoos. So he asked himself what would be the one thing he’d want inked onto his skin forever (ignoring the fact that this was temporary)? 

“Ladybug!”

The other chuckled while Nino rolled his eyes at him. “Okay, dude, fine. But I’m not letting you get her face on you. That’d be weird unless you two were dating.” He smirked and nudged Adrien’s shoulder. “You’re not holding anything back from me, right?”

“Nino, would I ever keep a secret like that from you?” Adrien lied through his teeth. He might not be dating Ladybug, but he’d definitely kept certain bigger things a secret from him. 

“Nah, prolly not.”

“Well, you can’t do her face, but what about an actual ladybug?” Nathaniel pulled out his sketchbook. “You could do that and have some text that says ‘pound it’ underneath.” He began drawing furiously.

Nino’s eyes lit up. “And if we have it on our wrists, then it would be double cool!” He gently punched Nathaniel’s shoulder. “Nice thinking, dude.”

They made a couple stops before the tattoo booth. Ivan got a new Zombie Skull Crushers t-shirt and a few pins. Kim snagged a pair of running shoes. Adrien got a gift for Nathaniel.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Nathaniel mumbled, clutching his new set of markers as they headed towards their final stop. 

“And you didn’t have to draw up tattoos for me and Nino.” Adrien smiled. “It was the least I could do!”

Nathaniel didn’t have a chance to respond as Nino snagged Adrien’s arm and dragged him up to the front with him. “Let’s get this rebellion started, bro!”

\------------------

Marinette was sitting in her room, working at her sewing machine when her phone went off. She recognized the chime as the noise her instagram notifications made and reached for her phone. The only tag she was following was Adrien’s, so her expectations were already high as she checked what he’d been posting about now. Since Alya had mentioned that the boys were going out today, she expected one of two things - either he was at home lamenting that he couldn’t go, or he was out and happy with his friends.

Desperately hoping it was the latter, she opened the picture.

It was Adrien and Nino standing side by side smiling mischievously. They were holding their hands up near their heads with their wrists facing the camera, which was zoomed close to them. Her heart leapt to her throat when she saw that while Nino had a lime green cat’s paw on his wrist, Adrien had a ladybug tattooed in the same spot. Under both their tattoos, they had a text scroll that read ‘Pound it’.

Falling onto her chaise, she held the phone close to her chest and squealed as she rolled back and forth. It was a beautiful day and Adrien was wearing a tribute to her alter ego on his skin.

Does it get any better than that?


	13. Shapeshift

Marinette scooted closer to Adrien’s side, their blanket pulled up close to her face as she peeked from between her fingers at the screen. Why were they even watching a horror movie to begin with? 

“Because it’s Halloween, lovebug,” he smiled down at her through his glasses. She pouted - she hadn’t intended to ask that question out loud.

“I hate horror movies,” she grumbled into his side. Just after saying that a jumpscare made her yelp in fear. She buried her face into Adrien’s shoulder and groaned. 

Chuckling, he wrapped her in a hug and immediately felt more secure. “Not to kick you while you’re down or anything, but _you_ insisted on the werewolf flick.”

“Don’t rub it in!” Her voice came out muffled. 

Taking a chance, she risked a glance at the screen. Everything seemed fine. She let herself relax a little. Maybe the movie was finally winding down? Then there was awful screaming as another of the teens got dragged off into the woods. A shiver ran down her spine and she moved even closer to Adrien. Any closer and she’d have to crawl onto his lap. Which he probably wouldn’t mind. 

How horror movies affected her so much continued to baffle her. Their years of fighting Hawkmoth had meant that she had encountered real monsters and worse. She’d seen her beloved boyfriend get erased from time, mind controlled, turned to a statue and a host of other things. But _that_ didn’t give her nightmares, no. It was these stupid films. 

Eventually, the credits rolled, but not before one last frame of the werewolf noticing the camera and charging it. The bloody claws glistening in the moonlight, the empty yellow eyes, the saliva mixed with viscera on its teeth...

“How am I supposed to sleep after that?” Marinette complained. Adrien scooped her up and carried her bridal style up the stairs to their bed.

“Well, I could tell you the usual stuff - it’s not real, we’ve seen worse, we’re superheroes - but you’ve heard all that already. So how about this,” he held her close, his smile turned dark as he bared his teeth, his eyes hungry as he watched her, “I’m the scariest thing that lurks in the night.”

A moment passed between them. 

Marinette burst out laughing, a deep belly laugh that had her clutching at her stomach. Tears were rolling down her face as he set her on the bed. From what she could make out of his expression, he seemed to be pouting.

“Hey, I can be scary!” He pulled the covers over both of them.

She ruffled his hair and cooed at him, “Yes, you’re my absolutely scary little kitten.” She put her hands on his cheeks. “So vicious!”

Despite his best efforts, he laughed as she turned to face away from him. “Goodnight, bugaboo.” His hand snared her waist as she scooted back towards him. 

“Night, my little guard kitten.”


	14. Fairytale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien meets up with Rose and Juleka for a school project.

Adrien was sat down at the library table across from his project partners. 

“Sorry! The photoshoot went longer than I thought it would.”

“Oh, that’s fine, Adrien! We have just been looking for sources so far. There is still lots you can help with!” Rose pushed a couple of books towards him. “Here, you can start with these.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said with a smile. His eyes drifted to the girl sitting beside Rose. Juleka met his stare and nodded, which was as close to a greeting that he ever got from her. “So what do we have so far?”

The two of them started filling him in on what he had missed in the time he had missed. He had felt like a terrible partner for showing up so late, but he was relieved to realize that they didn’t seem upset in the least. The conversation slowly drifted from pure work to something more casual. Adrien didn’t mind. Excluding Nino, he didn’t get the chance to just talk with his classmates very often. And besides, they were still making great progress. 

As an hour ticked by, it became clear to Rose that Adrien was a fellow romantic, which excited her to no end. After quizzing him on his favorite romance films and ideas for dates (with Juleka pretending not to hear the latter), she posed a question that made his heart skip a beat:

“Do you have a crush?”

The answer was yes, of course. Ladybug was the undisputed queen of his heart and his thoughts always gravitated towards her. But if he said that, then it might come off more as a celebrity crush, or, even worse, a stalker. After all, from their perspective Adrien Agreste had almost no connection with Ladybug. How could he tell them that he knew his lady about as well as anyone could?

Realizing that even Juleka was waiting expectantly for an answer, he muttered, “...Yes. But you, uh, p-probably don’t know her.” He could feel his face heat up as the two girls shared a knowing look.

“You could… describe her for us,” Juleka said. “Just, you know. Help us see why you like her so much.”

Homework forgotten for the time being, he fiddled with his ring. There was a lot that he loved about her, but where to start? Without revealing who exactly he was talking about?

“Well… she is kind. It’s like she never stops helping people. And she’s brave! She’s stood up to some pretty terrible people before. She is really talented, always coming up with really creative solutions to tough problems.” He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous grin. “And, well… she is pretty. Really, really pretty.”

Again with that knowing look shared between the two of them. 

A wide smile spreads across Rose’s face as her hands cover her cheeks. In a voice so quiet he wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear it, she says, “It’s just like a fairytale of star-crossed lovers! It’s just…. so… beautiful!” 

Juleka checked her phone and raised an eyebrow. “Guess that’s all the time we have for today.” She stood and gathered her things together, which signaled the others to do so too. “Same time next week, Agreste?”

He nodded and then Rose ran around the table to hug Adrien. She whispered to him, “I know Marinette feels the same way about you.” She pulled away and winked at him. “Just ask her, I know she’ll say yes!”

He was baffled, but waved at them as they left. How did she end up thinking he was talking about Marinette? Sure, she was kind… and brave… and creative… and… cute…

His eyes widened in realization and he swallowed heavily. 

Maybe he should take Rose’s advice after all?


	15. Coffee Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exhausted from the night before, Marinette and Adrien struggle to stay awake in class.

Adrien loved almost every aspect of being Chat Noir. Fighting evil. Escaping his home life. Having a friend near him at all times (even if he did smell like cheese…). Not to mention all the quality time he’d get to spend with his amazing partner. Most days, he found it hard to find any downsides to his time in the mask.

Today was not most days.

Last night was patrol, which he always looked forward to. Not because he got to defy his father by staying up late - although that was definitely a bonus - but because it was a nice, quiet time he got to spend with his lady. He’d be a bit tired in the morning since he was always woken up early, but being run ragged was something he’d gotten used to long before getting his miraculous. No, the problem arose because last night was _not_ nice and quiet. At least, it wasn’t towards the very end. For some reason, at midnight, Hawkmoth was awake and able to akumatize someone. It took a few hours but they beat it soundly. However, they couldn’t beat the rising sun home.

Mere minutes after Adrien changed into his pajamas and landed face first onto his bed, Nathalie knocked on his door. Which meant that Adrien got precisely no sleep and to shamble to class like a zombie, practically dead on his feet. He got situated in his spot and promptly fell asleep for a few minutes before his classmates started funneling in. Nino patting him on the back jolted him awake.

“Bro, is the old man running you ragged or what? You look awful, my dude.”

“Thanks for sparing my feelings, Nino,” he mumbled in reply. A smirk tugged at his lips and he went back to laying his head on his arms.

“Well, at least you aren’t alone, bro,” Nino said with a laugh.

Curious, Adrien opened his eyes and Nino pointed behind him. Turning around, he blinked slowly at the top of Marinette’s head. Alya was patting her back as she snored softly. Despite his own exhaustion, Adrien’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. 

He looked at Alya. “Is she alright?” 

“I’m not sure.” She shrugged and then a glint of something mischievous shone in her eye. “Hey, you don’t look too lively either. Why don’t you two pick up coffee at lunch? I’m sure M would appreciate it!”

After thinking about it for a moment, he nodded slowly. “Sure, that sounds nice. Do you guys want to come with?”

“Totally-” Nino let out a strangled noise at a look from Alya. “Uh, nah, dude. You know how I am with caffeine,” he laughed nervously and smiled widely, but Adrien was too tired to do anything but take them at face value.

“If you say so, dude.” Adrien yawned and settled his chin on his hand. Class was going to start soon and he needed to try his best to stay awake.

\--------------

The classes passed by painfully slowly, but they were released for lunch at long last. Alya and Nino scurried away quickly, leaving Adrien to nudge Marinette awake as he tried to stifle a yawn. He was feeling more awake, but the world was still a little fuzzy.

“Hey, Marinette?”

Not raising her head, she hummed, “Hm…?”

“It’s time for lunch. Want to go get some coffee?”

“Sounds great…” She stretched and stood up, before suddenly freezing. A faint blush colored her face as she looked at him. “A-adrien?! Going we coffee where?!”

“There’s a cafe not too far from here that I like to go to, especially after early photoshoots. Their coffee is delicious and strong.” After all this time, he didn’t even need to be fully awake to translate what she meant to say.

“O-okay,” she muttered and walked beside him as he lead them out of the school and towards the shop. He tried to strike up a conversation with her on the way there, but her eyes remained locked on the ground in front of her, the blush never leaving her cheeks. She seemed strangely preoccupied with her feet. It would be cute, if it weren’t also a little frustrating. 

They made it to the cafe without incident and placed their orders. Adrien ended up having to order for Marinette when she completely blanked at the wide selection offered. Thankfully, he’d gotten a good sense of her tastes in the few times that they had hung out before. 

While they were sipping their coffee and waiting for their orders, Adrien made another attempt to talk with Marinette. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so tired? Trouble sleeping? Or did you just not go to bed until late?”

“Trouble sleeping! Er, I mean, I lost track of time and went to bed late.” She laughed nervously. “You know me - scatterbrained Marinette!”

“I don’t actually know you as well as I’d like.” He watched her over his coffee as she blinked up at him in surprise. He cleared his throat, a blush now gracing his face. Something about being alone with her and being sleep deprived was taking away his filter. “So, ah, what made you lose track of time? Had to be something important, right?”

She ducked her head down, glancing between him and her cup of coffee. “Yeah, I m-mean no, I mean-”

Chuckling, he smiled at her. “Maybe I could start with what kept _me_ up?” She looked at him wide-eyed and nodded. He panicked internally as he choked down his initial response of ‘patrol’ - there was no way he could get himself out of that. With her still watching him expectantly, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Anime!”

Her expression twisted into surprise. “...Anime?”

“Y-yes!” He screamed in the comfort of his own mind. There was no way she was going to think he was cool after this. “I started a new one recently and just got absorbed into it. By the time I pried myself away… well… Nathalie was knocking on my door.” He winced and shrugged. “And you?”

An amused smile quickly vanished as she coughed into her hand. “Well, uh, I… was up late working on a new project. That I just started. And you definitely haven’t heard about.” Her smile was a little forced. 

“See? At least _you_ were productive. I only wasted my time like an idiot.” He looked down into his coffee as he swirled it around his cup. He sighed. “Just like always...”

“What- No!” He was surprised to see Marinette put her hand on his wrist. When he followed it up to her face, there was a glint of anger in her eyes. “Adrien, you do so much, all the time. Fencing, piano, basketball, photoshoots,” she ticked them off with her raised fingers, “you deserve some time to just do what you want. We can’t be productive _all_ the time!”

His shock melted into happiness. He squeezed the hand that she had on his wrist. “Thanks, Marinette.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she squeaked, blush returning in full force. She quickly took back her hand and took a sip of her coffee. 

“So… what were you working on, then?”

Her eyes widened. “I, um… it… nothing interesting, really.”

“No way is _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_, one of the best designers I know, working on anything that could be labeled ‘uninteresting’.” He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he grinned. “So come on, spill. What’s the secret project?”

“I can’t tell you because then it wouldn’t be a surprise-” She covered her mouth with her hands, eyes widening, but the damage was done. Apparently, she was suffering from a weakened filter too. 

“You’re making something… for me?” Marinette made a noise that sounded either like a strangled squeak or a ‘yes’. He chose to interpret it as the latter, just as their lunch arrived. He smirked as he looked down at the chocolate croissant on his plate. Picking it up, he began to tear off pieces of it. “That’s super _sweet_ of you, Mari.” He took a bite of his croissant. “Looks like you’re really trying to _butter_ me up.” Another bite.

Her fluster faded as she tentatively returned his smirk. “Really?” She sighed dramatically as she worked on her own food. “Anime and food puns. M-maybe you’re more of a dork than I thought you were, sunshine.” She glanced up at him, biting on her lips as she fought back a laugh.

“Me-_owch_, Marinette. I can’t believe you’d attack me like this.” His grin undercut his words.

“You’ll survive.”

“I might not. Marinette? Calling _me_ a dork? I’m heartbroken.”

“You complain and yet here you are, acting like a dork.”

“Dorks have feelings too, you know.”

“Ah! So you admit it!”

They both started giggling. The banter felt familiar somehow to Adrien, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on it. All he knew was that when their eyes made contact again after their giggling fit subsided, Marinette wasn’t the only one who looked away with a blush creeping across their face.


	16. Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien spends the day with Tikki.

The problem with the miraculous, in Adrien’s opinion, was that there was so much that he had no idea about. Like, for example, the fact that every chosen of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous had to, at some point, swap their miraculous. There had been talk about deepening their understanding of each other’s powers, and how this normally happened further along in their tenure, but the continued threat of Hawkmoth was making them have to develop their powers further.

This all came to Adrien as he tapped his pencil against his desk, watching Tikki munch and crunch on a cookie. A store-bought cookie, of course. His father didn’t allow him in the kitchen, for fear that the refrigerator would fall on him or something. Maybe on Monday he’d swing by the Dupain-Cheng bakery for some fresh baked stuff to stock up on. Although cookies didn’t keep nearly as well as cheese did. His eyes widened. Could Ladybug afford to feed Plagg his precious camembert? Or was he going to have to make do with cheddar and parmesan? 

“I’m sure he’s doing fine.” A small voice brought him out of his own head. Tikki was smiling up at him. “Plagg can be fussy, but when it gets down to it, he isn’t really all that picky. Cheese is cheese, even if camembert is the best cheese.”

“Yeah… you’re probably right.” He shook his head with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I bet he hasn’t even noticed the difference.”

Tikki frowned in concern and she floated up towards his face. “I know Stinky Sock can be… abrasive at times. And he might seem like he doesn’t care about things.” A soft smile replaced her frown as she locked eyes with him. “But I know he cares about you. It’s one of the strongest bonds I’ve ever seen him make with one of his chosen.”

Adrien blinked at her, startled by the confession. He wasn’t used to his kwami being so open, but after a moment what she said sunk in. “Th-thank you. That means a lot to me.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just wish that other people thought the same way, but at least I know I’ll always have Plagg.” Well, at least as long as Master Fu would let him have his miraculous…

“You don’t _just_ have Plagg. What about all your friends?” She looked down at her paws, tapping at her chin. “What about Nino? And Alya? Marinette?”

He thought about his closest friends. Nino had always been in his corner ever since his first day at school. It wasn’t a stretch to say that he cared. Alya might not be as close, but she always tried to include him on adventures in the city. Even if he rarely got to go, it meant a lot to him that she tried. And Marinette… there was a lot he could say about her. His shy classmate was always mindful of his feelings, always heard him out when he had something to say. Not to mention the little gifts she’d given him over the last couple years, implying that she thought about him often. It was very sweet of her.

Tikki cleared her throat and he looked up at her smirk. “That was a pretty big smile you were wearing there, Adrien. May I ask who you were thinking of?”

A blush covered his face and he sputtered out a lie, “I- um, uh… Ladybug?”

“Of course you were.” She giggled and patted his nose. “Which reminds me - How do you think Ladybug would react if she found out you thought no one cared about you?”

“I’d get a talking to, for sure,” he said with a small smile. “Maybe she’d even get me ice cream while we stared up at the sky and talked things over.”

“And that’s because you’re more than a partner to her - you’re a close friend. She loves you dearly, Adrien.” There was a glint in her eye and he had the feeling there was something she wasn’t saying. “You’ve been very productive today. Maybe we can take a break and see if any of your friends will be willing to play with you?”

Shaking his head, he chuckled. “You make it sound like I’m a little kid. Still… some online Mecha Strike does sound nice.” He began digging around in his bag and frowned. 

“Is something the matter?”

“I could’ve sworn I had my phone when I was at fencing today. Where did it go?”

\---------------

“Why did I let you talk me into this?” Marinette gawked at Adrien’s phone as if it were a live snake. “Why did you even _want_ me to do this?!”

Cackling, Plagg replied, “Because I thought it would be funny!”

“That’s not a good reason!”

“It is for me.”

“Aren’t kwamis supposed to be wise and helpful?”

“Not all of us are a stick in the mud like dear old Sugarcube.” He rubbed his paws together. “I think you and I will get along a lot better than I thought, kid.”


	17. Akumatized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino is worried about Adrien and wants to make sure he is alright.

Normally, Nino was all for letting people have space when they asked for it. He knew better than most that sometimes folks just needed some breathing room and some time to think and they’d feel better. But there was something in the way that Adrien had been acting all day that had set him on edge. Maybe in another life he’d still be willing to let his best bud have that alone time, but with Hawkmoth prowling around…

So far, Adrien had been able to escape being akumatized and Nino intended to keep it that way.

Which is what lead Nino to discreetly follow Adrien out of the school when it came time for lunch. He was half-expecting him to go to a local cafe or restaurant or even the bakery across the street, but instead he made his way to the park. Nino hid behind a hedge as Adrien sat down on a park bench. After rummaging in his bag, he pulled out his phone. Despite his better judgement, Nino listened to the half of the conversation he could.

“Father, I wanted to talk to you about- Oh, hello Nathalie. Can I speak with father?”

There was a curt reply.

“Please? It really is important that I talk to him.” A pause. “He _knows_ why, and so do you. There is no way he forgot.” A longer pause. Adrien’s voice was agitated when he spoke again. “I don’t know why he’d schedule a business meeting, but I’m telling you this is-” 

Nathalie interrupted him again and Adrien deflated, hanging his head low. “Yes, I understand. Thanks, goodbye.” Hanging up, he tossed the phone onto his bag and buried his face into his hands. 

Nino sat down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. Adrien jolted and looked up at him. Despite the beginnings of tears in his eyes, he tried to hide it with a model smile.

“Oh hey, bro! What’s-”

“Dude.” Nino shot him a look that suggested he wasn’t about to believe the act for a minute and watched the mask melt away in seconds. Taking a stab in the dark, Nino guessed, “Trying to have lunch with your old man again?”

“I wish it was just that,” Adrien said as he shook his head. “Today is mom’s birthday and, well, the three of us used to go out for lunch at this place. I managed to make an appointment but…” He shrugged helplessly. “...looks like Father cancelled.”

“That’s a super bummer dude.” Nino watched Adrien with narrowed eyes. “The way he treats you, it's not right, bro.” He stood up. “Why don’t you come over to my place today? You can eat with my family instead.”

A flicker of hope crossed his face, but he still seemed on the fence. “Are you sure they’ll want me there?”

“Positive! They’ll be psyched to meet my best bro.” He nudged Adrien with his elbow as he got up. “You’ll have to live up to the hype, though. I’ve kinda been talking you up this whole time. Think you can handle it?”

“You better believe I am!” They fist bumped.

As they walked back to the school, a purple butterfly fluttered hesitantly over them before returning to its master. The two boys were none the wiser.


	18. Cosplay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien goes shopping with friends.

Adrien had never been to a mall before, so he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Just about the only thing he knew was that there were a lot of shops there, but considering he very rarely set foot in those either, that wasn’t a huge help. He peered into one of the stores they were passing by, trying to figure out what exactly they were selling. 

“Bro, pick up the pace! The girls are leaving us behind!” Nino yelled at him while walking backwards, sticking a thumb over his shoulder. Despite his warning, Marinette and Alya were waiting patiently at the intersection. 

Adrien was about to leave when something caught his eye - a flash of red with black dots. Prying his eyes away, he replied, “Hey, can we go in here? It looks like there’s a bunch of Ladybug and Chat Noir stuff.”

Just as expected, Alya grinned and snagged Marinette’s wrist, dragging her back towards Adrien. Nino hurried out of the way to avoid being bowled over by his girlfriend.

“Freak out!” She nudged him with her elbow. “Nice eye, sunshine. Let’s see if they have anything I don’t.”

Nino put a hand on his shoulder as he passed. “C’mon, dude. Maybe there is something spotted in there that you haven’t stuffed in your closet yet.” He saw Marinette’s head whipped over to look at him and they locked eyes for a brief moment, both of them blushing, before she disappeared into the store. 

Stepping inside, he wasn’t sure how they had all passed by it without noticing. Most of the merchandise was the typical spots or black with lime green, but Carapace, Rena Rouge, and even Queen Bee were represented. It wasn’t just the usual quick gimmicky stuff either - sure there was the lazy t-shirts with cheap phrases printed on, the mass produced mugs, that sort of thing. But there were also well made action figures, quality clothes, and-

“Costumes!” Alya got starry eyed over a rack of reasonably accurate costumes for each of the five miraculous users. While she paused to look over the Rena Rouge one, she gravitated toward the main pair and snagged one of each. Poor Marinette, who had been reaching out to flick a replicate of Chat Noir’s bell, found herself being dragged towards the dressing rooms.

Her eyes widened in panic and briefly her gaze flicked over to him and Nino. “A-alya! We can’t just- Do we really have to?”

“Girl, we _gotta_. And chill!” She rolled her eyes playfully and ended with a wink. “I’ll even let you be your favorite hero.” Just before she disappeared around the corner, Adrien was treated to the sight of Marinette’s face turning tomato red up to her ears. 

Turning slowly back to Nino, who was looking at a foxtail necklace, Adrien said, “Alya can be… a bit much sometimes.”

“You’re telling me,” he said as he shook his head. “But hey, that passion is a big part of why I think she’s totally awesome. Speaking of…” he lowered his voice, “I can’t help but notice you’ve been keeping a close eye on Marinette today. Something you gotta tell me, dude?” He smiled.

Despite himself, he blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. Had he really been staring? “...No. I mean, she’s cute and all…”

“And kind,” Nino added.

“And kind, but-”

“And talented.”

“...and talented-”

“And you’ve totally got a thing for her.”

“And I’ve- Nino!” He glared at him half-heartedly while his best friend chuckled. “We’re just friends, you know that.”

“Uh-huh. We’ll see how long you stick with that.”

He rolled his eyes and went back to browsing the merchandise. A few more minutes passed before he heard the doors to the dressing room open. Alya stepped around the corner with confidence and struck the familiar Ladybug pose. Adrien smiled and applauded. 

“Thanks, Agreste.” She smiled. “You coming, _Chat Noir_?”

There was a faint jingling as Marinette came around the corner, wringing her tail in her hands and looking nervously at the ground. He sucked in a breath when she looked up at him, her bright blue eyes peering at him through the black mask. 

“Come on, girl! Say something Chat Noir would!”

At Alya’s nudging, Marinette cupped her chin and looked deep in thought. She smiled and leaned toward Alya. “Wouldn’t you say we look _purr-fect_ together?”

Alya and Nino pretended to groan at the pun, but Adrien’s heart skipped a beat.

He was starting to think maybe he had a thing for Marinette.


	19. Fencing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien spars with a favorite opponent.

Adrien blocked his opponents attacks and patiently waited for an opening. Dodging the lunges weren’t too difficult - after all, his fencing trophies weren’t just for show. And as much as he wanted to go easy on her, he remembered the earful he got last time he did so. To her credit, every time they sparred it got a little more difficult to parry or evade her attacks. Maybe one day these fights would be close fought and evenly matched.

“Touche,” he said just after scoring a hit on her. 

For today, however, there was still a great disparity in skill between them. 

Marinette took off her fencing mask with a groan, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. One that he was sure was mirrored on him as he removed his mask as well. He closed the distance between them so they could speak normally. 

“You’re doing great!” He smiled with pride. “It’s taking me longer and longer to beat you, and that’s saying something.”

With a faint blush, she grumbled, “Y-yeah, well... I still haven’t beaten you.” She glared when he opened his mouth. “Not for _real_, without you holding back.”

“You’ve got a lot of natural talent, Marinette.” Shrugging, he added, “But I’ve still got a few years of experience over you.” Mentally, he added in his time spent as Chat Noir and putting those years of experience into practical use. “That’s why master D'Argencourt assigned me to mentor you, after all. His best student teaching his most promising one.”

Her eyes were downcast as she replied, “I just… I don’t know, Adrien. It doesn’t feel like I’m making any progress at all. I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”

He shook his head. “Marinette, you’ve got a ton of potential to be a great fencer.” He held up a gloved hand and raised a finger with each point. “You have amazing reflexes, really good instincts, and your grasp of the rules is improving constantly. Not to mention how creative you can get with your tactics - even with all my training it is hard to read what you’re up to sometimes!” He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft smile. “I know it might seem like you’re not improving, but trust me when I say that you _are_, by leaps and bounds.”

Not for the first time, he made a mental note to recommend Marinette as a new miraculous user to Ladybug. All the abilities he just mentioned would make her an excellent addition to the team. And the other traits for being a hero, the strength of character rather than body, were beyond question. He was still frustrated that the last time he brought it up Ladybug just gave a nervous laugh and ended patrol early. 

Her blush grew and she sputtered for a moment before managing to respond, “...Th-thanks.”

“Let’s get some water and cool down for a little bit before trying again, okay?”

As he walked beside her as they went towards the locker rooms, he had to wonder: Was he selfish for being glad Marinette got in? Above the other hopefuls who had clearly spent more time training? It was just that, he had an almost professional relationship with the other fencers in the class, and most of them had eyed his position as class champion enviously. But with Marinette… she had passion, but she didn’t seem to be gunning for his spot. And they were friends before she had joined. Granted, they didn’t talk a whole lot, but that was another benefit to her being here - the conversation. Sometimes, he even managed to coax some banter out of her. It was refreshing.

After their break, spent mostly near a fan and making slow conversation between sips of water, they returned to their spots and began their next round of training. Somewhat distracted, he prepared himself by settling into his usual pattern of defense. Barely a few moves in and something was already off. Before he could figure it out, he fell for Marinette’s feint and saw the point of her epee touch his chest.

“Point for you,” he said while pulling up his mask. His wore his pride plainly in his smile.

His smile widened when she did an adorable little victory dance, her normal awkwardness completely forgotten. Even in defeat, he was having a great time. Marinette certainly made things more fun and he couldn’t wait to spend more time with her.


	20. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien plays his piano, alone.

Somewhere in the room, Plagg was sleeping, leaving Adrien alone with his music as he played. He’d already gotten his practice for the day done, at least the practice that his father mandated. But he was still waiting for the sun to set and patrol for tonight to begin.

As he began thinking about his lady, he grinned. Maybe she was a fan of the piano? It was little more than a daydream, but he usually played with his window open in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, she’d be passing by and hear it. And hopefully she’d be so impressed by it that she would stop in and sit with him. Just the two of them, seated in silence as he filled the air with music. 

His friends gave him hope in that regard. Nino had always gushed about how good Adrien was at it, even though he hadn’t heard him play a lot. Alya and Marinette had heard him even less, but they still swore up and down that he was amazing at it. His smile grew wider as he remembered the awe-struck look on Marinette’s face the one time she’d been around when he had played at a proper piano. He’d never forget how it made him feel, how it finally made it seem like all those hours and hours of practice had been worth while.

Of course, not everyone liked his piano playing.

Father didn’t check in on how his practice was coming along very frequently, but every time he did, he would find _something_ wrong. Adrien could be sitting wrong, his pacing would be off, he’d be playing music that wasn’t challenging enough for him. And the more his father found wrong, the worse Adrien would get as the pressure mounted. Every time, he’d leave in a huff and demand that Adrien spend more time improving. And every time, Adrien would spend a few minutes in silence, wondering if he even wanted to continue learning at all. 

Then he’d remember the reason he’d started in the first place. Sitting on his mother’s lap as her fingers danced across the keys, coaxing beautiful tunes out of the sleek piano that she had loved so dearly. Those were some of the earliest memories he had. That sleek piano was now covered in tarps and dust and hidden in some forgotten corner of the mansion. Just like how his father had dealt with her disappearance - neglect and ignore. 

Adrien wondered if he would ever hear it played again. 

He was late for patrol that evening. 

He always hated when Ladybug could tell that he had been crying.


	21. Modeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has a photoshoot with a famous guest.

When she became Ladybug, Marinette hadn’t even considered that she might become a celebrity because of it. 

Looking back, that was pretty naive of her - after all, real life superheroes weren’t exactly common and saving people so often was bound to build up some good will in the general public. Of _course_ people would come to idolize her. Even if she didn’t really feel much different than a normal girl with a normal life (with the big exception of being a superhero). Most of the time, her popularity didn’t come up. People would wave at her on the streets. Sometimes she’d get invited to talk on TV - which she usually declined after that whole incident with Nadja. 

But getting invited to a photoshoot was new and that was part of the reason she accepted. Another part was the sizeable donation they’d made to entice her - which probably would have worked by itself. But she wasn’t too proud to admit that maybe the biggest reason she’d come was the model that she would be posing alongside.

“Feeling nervous yet?” 

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Adrien’s voice. Somehow, he’d slipped into the chair beside her without her noticing. A fact that he seemed to take pride in, given the way his vibrant green eyes sparked with mirth. 

“...Would you think any less of me if I say yes?” She gave a nervous smile and wrung her hands. Candid shots from, say, Alya to put on the Ladyblog were one thing. She didn’t have time to think about them, or worry about them. But to pose for the camera, under intense scrutiny...? It was intimidating.

“Never,” he said with confidence. “It takes some getting used to. But don’t worry! I’ll be right here beside you for the whole time.”

She blushed and she was surprised to see a matching one on his face. “Th-thank you, Adrien. I just…” Her smile faltered.

“Just what?”

“I wish Chat Noir were here too. This is supposed to be all about the most beloved public figures in Paris, right?” She grimaced. It felt weird to include herself in that, but here they were. “Well, doesn’t he belong here too, then? I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be by my side.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “O-oh, I see…”

Her eyes widened. “Not that you aren’t fine! You’re awesome, perfect even!” She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, failing to notice how his blush had deepened. Beginning again, she spoke slowly, “You’re great, Adrien, but Chat Noir is my partner and one of my closest friends. It feels… off, not having him here with me.” When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her with a warmth that made her heart flutter. 

“I understand completely. While I don’t think I could ever replace him,” he said with that same mirth in his eyes from before, “I’ll do my best to keep you company for today.” Leaning closer, he whispered conspiratorially, “Although, between you and me, they tried to invite him, but he claimed to have prior commitments.”

That was news to her. Although they hadn’t talked about it much since they didn’t have patrol between the invite and the event, she had just assumed he’d be showing. 

Putting aside those questions for another day, she instead asked, “So… do you ever get, um… nervous?” Her Ladybug confidence began eroding without anything to focus on. “Probably not since you’ve been doing this for so long and-”

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I do get nervous sometimes.” Their eyes locked for a moment, both of them glancing away as their faces heated. After a few moments of silence, he said, “Can I share a secret with you?”

“S-sure.”

“I’ve never been a big fan of being in front of the camera.” He held up his hands in a placating manner when she gasped, a faint smile at his lips. “I know, I know. Paris’s most famous model doesn’t like the spotlight. Scandalous.”

She giggled and leaned back into her chair. “I get what you mean. I never expected to become some kind of celebrity. And to be honest? I don’t really want it. All the attention just feels weird.”

“I understand completely.”

“If you don’t mind me asking… Why do you do it if you don’t like it?”

“I don’t have much of a choice. I’m an Agreste, so I’d be in the public eye anyway.”

“True,” she conceded, “but you don’t _have_ to be a model. Isn’t that where most of the… adoring fans come from?”

“Still not my choice. Father wants me to be the face of the brand.”

“You… didn’t choose to model?” She frowned. It had never occurred to her that it was a lifestyle that he hadn’t decided for himself. 

He shrugged. “It is what it is. Not much I can do about it, so I try to make the best of it. Besides, if seeing my face makes people happy, then how can I complain?”

Before she could respond, someone poked their head into the room. “You two are wanted on set soon!”

“Thanks,” Marinette said with a polite smile. Adrien was already getting up and he held his hand out to her. 

“Shall we?” His grin reminded her of her partner and she felt her anxiety melting away. She took his hand. “Let’s give them a photoshoot to remember.”

Later that night, as Marinette laid down in bed, she wasn’t sure if the photoshoot would stand out in the memories of the crew. But as she thought back to Adrien’s warm smiles and honest laughter, of the fleeting touches they shared over the course of that day… she knew that it would stick with her for a long time to come.


	22. Gaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepover at Marinette's.

Adrien collapsed into the couch. His erstwhile dance partner landing on the seat opposite him did nothing to move him, mostly because Marinette was too light to move him. Alya and Nino, meanwhile, finished out their song as flawlessly as usual before turning to face the two of them. 

“Looks like you two lose again,” Alya said with a proud smirk.

“Guess you’ll never be as in-sync as we are.” Nino flexed. “Sorry, dude.” Adrien rolled his eyes. 

“You guys won because you practice all the time at it,” Adrien retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “If we played something else, then we’d probably beat you.”

Not to mention they had paired him with Marinette. And as much as he liked her, Marinette was not the greatest dance partner to face down Alya and Nino. Keeping her balance was always a struggle and he spent most of their rounds keeping her upright. Which led into the other problem - she got super distracted every time he touched her, which just made her clumsiness even more of an issue. Normally it wouldn’t even faze him, but now he was feeling competitive and yearned for some kind of win. Because of that, Marinette’s next suggestion snagged his attention.

“What about Ultimate Mecha Strike III?” 

Their two friends groaned, but Adrien was nodding along. “That sounds great! You guys got to pick the first game, it’s only fitting that we get to pick the next one.”

“Ugh, fine,” Alya said reluctantly. Then a sly smirk crossed her face. “But! We’ll do a singles tournament. Otherwise, Nino and I will just get trounced all the time and that won’t be any fun.”

Marinette grumbled something about how Alya had just done that to them, but she was soundly ignored. Then she was scooted towards Adrien as Alya and Nino squeezed on. The couch could only barely hold all four of them and Marinette was practically in Adrien’s lap as the controllers got handed out. Her face was tomato red - whether from the exertion of the dancing or the proximity, he couldn’t tell. She numbly took the controller that was passed to her.

“I’ve been training for this rematch, Mari,” Adrien said. He was hoping to get her mind off of whatever was distracting her. “All my free time spent dueling bots, all in preparation for this moment.”

She scoffed, too quick to have been anything but reflexive. She seemed panicked that she had offended him, but when it was clear that he wasn’t she explained, “I’ve been too busy to play for a while, but seriously? You think fighting the AI is going to be enough to top me?”

Alya murmured something into Marinette’s ear, too low for Adrien to hear. Somehow, she managed to get even redder and smacked Alya on the shoulder with an offended squawk.

“It’ll be a hot second before you two get to fight anyway,” Alya said. “Marinette is gonna face Nino first, then I’ll take Sunshine, and finally the winners fight.”

“Seems like a roundabout way for me and Mari to spar.” Adrien teased. To his surprise, Alya took the banter without comment.

“Oh, sure. I know how my girl gets and I want to get my turn before she turns into a competitive she-beast.” She leaned back to look behind marinette and winked at Adrien. “Good luck, sunshine.”

The first round went by quick - Nino landed a couple of hits on Marinette’s character, but nothing close to an even fight. He took his defeat with characteristic chillness and the two of them passed their controllers left. Adrien got the distinct feeling that Alya wasn’t even trying to play so much as mess with him as she dodged attacks and lightly tapped him, punctuating each one with a loud ‘boop’ noise that sent the rest of the couch into a giggling fit. She didn’t even do as much damage as Nino had, but when she passed her controller to Marinette she was grinning.

“Alright dudes - this one is for all the sweet, delicious glory,” Nino said as the countdown began. Both he and Marinette hunched forward, waiting for the match to start. 

It was a hard fought match, and one that kept everyone engaged, but Adrien was proud to say that he just barely managed to win. No sooner had he started to revel in his success than Marinette was mashing the rematch button.

“Y-you got lucky,” she stammered, pouting adorably. 

Alya nudged Nino. “C’mon, let’s get some snacks. They’re gonna be at it for a while.”

She wasn’t wrong. Marinette won the next match, which only meant that they had to do a tie breaker round. Then they couldn’t just leave it there and followed it with another battle. On and on and on it went. Alya and Nino had long since left to go to sleep in Marinette’s bedroom. Despite the extra room, Marinette only scooted a little away from him. Even then, he missed her warmth. It was easy to forget the winter chill with her right next to him. 

Adrien and Marinette’s faces were lit only by the glow of the television as they played into the night. They were completely tied and this was the deciding match. Adrien yawned, barely keeping his eyes open as he finished Marinette’s character off. A brief surge of triumph pushed aside his exhaustion as he saw the ‘Player Two Wins!’ message pop up on screen. He looked over to Marinette, only to realize that she was asleep against him. 

He only had the presence of mind to turn off the TV before sleep claimed him too, his head resting against the top of Marinette’s as he drifted into unconsciousness.


	23. Puns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette asks Chat Noir for some advice on how to woo a boy.

“Hey, Chat?” 

Adrien turned to look at Marinette from his perch on her railing. This had become something of a regular occurrence for them. At first it had just been commiserating over their love lives. Or, more accurately, their lack of love lives. While Adrien had been open about his feelings for Ladybug this whole time, Marinette had yet to tell him the name of her mystery crush. All he knew was that he was apparently very handsome and an idiot. The idiot part was speculation, but from how Marinette talked about him, he could only imagine how obvious her crush was around the lucky fool.

Which made him wonder why he had never seen signs of this crush before. Maybe it was recent? Or maybe it wasn’t someone they went to school with?

Pushing aside the speculation for now, he replied, “Yeah, pigtails?”

He’d hoped for something sweeter for a nickname, but he’d panicked the first time that he showed for one of these visits. Somehow, Plagg’s name for her was the first that he managed to come up with. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind. 

“I just…” She braced herself and sighed. “How do I flirt?”

He blinked at her before a wide grin split his face. “Not making any progress with the dumb guy I take it?”

“He’s not _dumb_,” she chastised him. “He just… he’s not great with social cues, you know? So I can’t just keep doing nothing. I’ve got to make a move and, well…”

“...Since I’m an absolute master of flirting, it only makes sense to beg for my wisdom in capturing his heart?”

She rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. And how is that going with Ladybug?” 

“A woman like Ladybug can’t be rushed. She falls in love in her own time, and I am more than happy to wait for her.”

“Right, well, anyway,” she stammered with a blush, like she always did when he got too mushy with his affections for Ladybug. “The reason I ask is because you’ve at least admitted your feelings. And maybe if I flirt with him, he’ll figure it out without me telling him?”

Again, Adrien doubted that, if he was half as dense as Adrien thought he was. He shrugged. “Maybe you’re onto something. So you want to know the secret to my eventual success?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m listening.”

He got off from his perch to stand next to her, putting one arm around her. She seemed surprised and watched him intently. With absolute confidence, he replied:

“Puns.”

With a snort, she pushed him away. “Come _on_, Chat! I’m being serious!”

“So am I! Puns are serious business to me, you know.” His tail swished back and forth, a clear sign of his ease. “And I’m telling you the fastest way to any one’s heart - especially a boy - is clever wordplay. And puns are the best at that because they are also _funny_.”

She simply shook her head and rolled her eyes. He was beginning to think they’d just roll right out if she kept doing it so often.

“Your loss,” he said with a shrug, backing towards the railing. “I’ve got to head out, but you think about what I’ve said, alright? I promise, if you take my advice, you’ll have that adorable idiot eating out of the palm of your hand in no time.”

No doubt she was about to say something clever, but he was already backflipping off her balcony and heading home. 

\------------------------

Adrien was excited for school today. He usually was since it meant he got to see his friends and be among people that weren’t paid by his father, but today was special. It was the first day back at school after giving Marinette love advice from Chat Noir. Provided she took his advice, he’d finally be able to see who her secret crush was. No doubt he would need to keep a careful eye on her today, especially when she would be talking to boys. Purely for curiosity’s sake. Of course.

The limo came to a stop and Adrien slide out of the vehicle onto the front steps of his school. Already his plan to keep an eye on Marinette was going swimmingly since she was marching towards him with purpose. Nervous purpose, but still. He opened his mouth to say hi, but she talked right over him, as if she absolutely had to get what was on her mind off her chest.

“Hope nothing _lessons_ your enthusiasm for going to school!” She said it all in a rush and before he could respond she was practically sprinting up the stairs. He saw her breeze past Alya, who shook her head and face palmed before following her inside at a more leisurely pace. 

Well that was… unusual. But Marinette was an unusual kind of girl. As he made his way to class, he didn’t think much about it. At least, not until roll call started and he belatedly wondered if she had intentionally punned at him. Probably not…

...Right?

\--------------------

Adrien shambled out of the school with Nino right by his side. The punning incident at the start of the day had turned out not to be an isolated event. His entire day had been spent with Marinette rushing up to him at unexpected times, spouting some clumsy pun and then running off. The more she did it, the more she had become comfortable in it and well...

"Nino, I think my heart is gonna explode." Which was accurate. His heart was fluttering wildly and he broke into a blush to match Marinette’s every time he happened to spot her.

"Are you KIDDING ME?” His best friend raised his voice, but there was an amused tremor to it, as if he was on the verge of laughing. “All this time and it's the _puns_ that get you to see Marinette like this."

"She's...she's so funny and look how _cute_ her nose is when she's looking all proud Nino heLP." He latched onto his friend as if he were a life line or a large teddy bear. 

Nino patted him on the back of the head consolingly. "You are hopeless, my dude."

"Should I pun back?” He lifted his head, putting a hand on his cheek as he glanced around furtively. “...Is it too soon?"

"I am going to throw myself down the stairs."

Adrien was about to beg him not to when he saw tell-tale pigtails breeze past him. As he watched her go down the stairs, he was never happier to realize what an adorable idiot he was.


	24. Flirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is frustrated with his lack of progress with Ladybug and asks for advice from some friends.

The tapping of his pencil against the desk became more insistent as Adrien remembered the events of last night. Another night on patrol. Another round of flirting with his lady. Another soft rejection. It wasn’t working, but what else was he going to do? His heart hurt every time he tried to think of moving on. There had to be another way to make her realize her feelings for him…

“Dude, I like a funky beat as much as the next guy, but you’re gonna drive me crazy if you keep doing that.”

Adrien blinked up at Nino and the other two. While he would’ve been thrilled to be in the same group as Marinette and Alya, Ms Bustier likely figured they’d get nothing done if Alya and Nino were put together. Probably for the best, but Kim and Rose weren’t exactly… the most _helpful_ project partners. Kim wasn’t built for the whole ‘sitting still and quietly working’ thing and Rose… well, she tried. But she got stuck on random tangents so often he couldn’t even begin to guess how much work she’d actually gotten done. To add insult to injury, Nino was even now texting Alya, so splitting them up did no good whatsoever.

“Sorry, dude,” Adrien winced. “I guess I’ve just got my mind on other things.” He could hardly judge the rest of them, after all. There wasn’t a lot of progress done on his end either.

“Yeah? What sort of stuff?” Kim asked while trying to balance a pencil on his nose. 

The instinct to just make up an excuse about his clubs or work flared, but he paused. Maybe they could give him some advice? If he stayed vague and didn’t mention who it was, then there shouldn’t be any harm in it… right? And even if they figured out it was Ladybug, they’d just think it was a celebrity crush. Lots of people liked Ladybug; they couldn’t figure out he was Chat Noir just from that. 

“Well… there’s this girl…” 

Rose’s face lit up immediately, like a flower greeting the sun. “That’s so _romantic_!” She clasped her hands in front of her as she wiggled in place. “Who is the lucky girl? Is she someone we know?!”

Adrien gulped and he rubbed the back of his neck. “N-no, of course not,” he lied. “I, uh, met her at work.” Technically not false, but only barely. Nino, Kim, and Rose shared a look between them. They didn’t seem to believe him, but they looked knowingly at Adrien. He wondered what it was, exactly, that they thought they knew.

“So, dude, what’s got you down exactly, then?” Nino leaned forward, chin in his hand. 

Well, they weren’t getting anything done anyway so… “I just… I don’t know how to get her to like me.” He heard a scoff and was surprised to see that it came from Rose, who tried to pass it off as a cough. She motioned for him to continue. “Anyway… Do you guys have any ideas on what I could do? I’m all ears.”

His eyes landed on Nino first, who ducked away and pulled his hat down. His cheeks became ruddy. “Don’t look at me, dude. _I_ don’t even know how I managed to get Alya. And something tells me locking you two in the zoo won’t solve much.”

No lock would hold his lady for long, so that was definitely a no-go.

“What about you, Rose?” He had high hopes for her. Even with their limited interactions, Adrien had found a kindred spirit in Rose. If anyone could help him woo his lady with romance, it was her.

“Oh! What about a romantic, candlelit spot. Somewhere secluded where you could confess your feelings to her! Ooo, or maybe you could give her a rose or poetry - there’s no way that wouldn’t work!” 

Rose watched him with wide eyes and he hid his disappointment in a well-trained smile. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t tried already. Except maybe the poetry, but… the last time he tried he ended up frustrated when he couldn’t put his feelings into words. That hadn’t stopped someone from responding to it, but he had no proof that it had been his lady that had.

“Nah, no way that’d work,” Kim interjected. He was still trying to balance the pencil on his nose and continued to have no success. A track record that only threatened to worsen as he began talking.

“Really?” Rose huffed. “And what’s your advice?”

“Simple!” Kim abandoned the pencil, threw off his running shoe, and stuck his bare toe in his ear.

The table watched in a silence that ranged from disgust to mere disapproval.

“That’s… great, Kim,” Adrien lamely replied. He had no idea how to respond to that otherwise. “But, I, um, I don’t think I can do that? I’ve never _tried_ but-”

He pulled out his toe and shook his head. “No no no, man. Its not about _my_ sick talents. It’s about _your_ sick talents. You gotta show off your unique skills! Girls love a guy that is good at something.” He nudged Adrien’s shoulder. “Hey, what about your fencing? That’s pretty cool and stuff.”

While the others devolved into a debate about Kim’s philosophy, Adrien considered the advice. It was certainly something different. Fencing probably wouldn’t work - it was kind of their job to be good at fighting, after all - but maybe…

His eyes lit up. There was something he could do.

\--------------------------

There was a lot more planning that had to go into this than he thought there would be, certainly more than he’d done for his last romantic set up. Then again, maybe that was because rose petals and candles could be set up practically anywhere. 

Finding a piano that he could access without a lot of people seeing him? _That_ was a challenge. 

But he managed it, finding a high class restaurant that was closed for renovations at the moment. Renovations that left the upstairs and its grand piano completely untouched and accessible. So long as you were a superhero, of course.

The only other hard part was getting Ladybug to meet him outside of their usual spot, especially when she found out where exactly he wanted her to meet. No doubt she was expecting another romantic date - his lovebug was very smart, after all. It was one of the many reasons he loved her so dearly.

He was a bundle of nerves waiting on her to show, but thankfully playing the piano had always been a great stress reliever for him. At least, so long as it was _his_ choice to play and not at his father’s insistence. Pushing thoughts of his father aside, he began coaxing music out of the instrument.

His impromptu concert was interrupted four or five songs in by Ladybug sitting down next to him on the pianist bench. 

“I never knew that you played, Chaton.”

“What can I say? I’m a cat of many talents.” He finished with a flourish and she clapped approvingly.

“Do you take requests, kitty?”

“Only from the most beautiful ladies,” he said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Could you do Clair de Lune? It’s one of my favorites.”

“Ah, a woman of taste. And, for you? Anything.”

As the song began to drift through the air, Ladybug closed her eyes beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.


	25. Career

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exhausted after a photoshoot, Adrien perks up at a visit from a familiar face.

With every muscle screaming at him, Adrien shrugged his bag off and buried his face into his pillows, immediately becoming boneless as he melted into the soft comfort of his too-large bed. These back to back photoshoots were becoming increasingly common as the height of the summer fashion week dragged on. The combination of having to be as fit as physically possible to rock those summer styles and swimsuits, plus going to hours-long modeling sessions were taking their toll. 

Even Plagg decided to save his snarky comments and drifted off wordlessly to his cheese safe. With just the still quiet of the room to keep him company, his eyes fluttered and slowly closed. Sleep began to envelop him like a warm blanket.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he stirred at a knock at the window. The sun had set, but it was already on its way out when he had finally gotten home. The tapping continued, insistently, and Adrien forced himself to open his eyes and look for the source. Can’t have been Plagg - if he wanted attention he’d be whining, not tapping. His other friends would have called first. Well, except Ladybug, but she-

His eyes flew open and he looked out the window. Sure enough, there she was, a stunning figure in red, glowing in the moonlight. As he scrambled out of bed, he made a feeble attempt to make himself look presentable. His clothes were wrinkled and askew, his hair an absolute mess even compared to its Chat Noir form, and in short he felt distinctly not handsome. But as he opened the window for her, she gave him the softest, warmest smile that made him feel more attractive than the sizzling photoshoots ever did.

“L-ladybug! Its, uh, been awhile since you’ve come to visit.” He cleared his throat to cover for his nerves. “Is something the matter?”

She answered him with a hug, color flooding her cheeks to match her mask. As she pulled back, she replied, “I got a feeling you could use a friend tonight. Are you up for some Mecha Strike?”

He considered the way his muscles were screaming at him, the exhaustion lurking just behind his eyes and that seeped into his very bones. He compared that to somewhere between an hour to two hours of getting his butt handed to him in Mecha Strike III. The answer seemed pretty obvious. 

\------------

A few rounds into their game and flush with victory from her undefeated streak, Ladybug leaned back to get a little more comfortable. Adrien was fully aware of every motion since, despite the size of the couch, she was pressed up against him, her head sometimes laid against his shoulder while they watched a loading screen. 

It was during one such loading screen that she asked him, “You’re almost out of school. Are you going to be sticking with a modelling career?”

He shrugged, trying his best not to shift her too much. “It looks like I will be.”

“You don’t sound too thrilled about that.”

“Well, I never really cared much for it. It’s got perks, sure, but I’ve never been much for the spotlight. And all this carefully watching my physique gets old, fast.”

“Well, if you don’t want to be a model…” She leaned back to look him in the eye. “...What do you want to be?”

He bit his lip. “To be honest? I’d rather be a homemaker. Filling a house with warmth and love sounds nice, you know?”

He was painfully aware of how his words echoed in the cold emptiness of his room. 

It was a long moment that Ladybug spent staring at him, her expression unreadable. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. A blush burned across his face.

“Knowing you, I’d bet you’d be able to pull that off no problem. You’ve got love and warmth to spare.”


	26. Hamster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien overhears some friends talking.

Sometimes the distinction between Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir wasn’t as clear cut as he’d like to believe. Abilities and tendencies possessed by Paris's feline super hero sometimes showed themselves subtly in Paris's supermodel sweetheart. 

So, when Alya and Marinette began whispering across the staircase from him, they presumably thought that he couldn’t hear them. But with his sharpened hearing, he managed to pick out some of their conversation. Not that he was trying to eavesdrop or anything, but he couldn’t just ignore it, right? Especially since he could’ve sworn his name had come up.

“...You gotta relax, girl! Take some deep breaths, okay?”

“But Alya!” Marinette whined. “Does it have to be today? I’m not wearing my lucky socks, I'm a nervous wreck, the stars aren’t aligned for it-”

“Girl. M. Sweetie. Do you want those three kids and a hamster?”

“...yes, but-”

“And do you know the only way you’re gonna get to that point?”

“...yes, but-”

“No more buts! You gotta make a move, girl. Now c’mon before the bell-”

The bell rang, signalling that they needed to head inside for class. He left having more questions than answers, but it got him thinking. Marinette seemed to have her life together and everything all planned out for herself. And not the way that _his_ life was planned out - she seemed thrilled for what she was going for, even if it scared her. Was that what it felt like to be excited for what the future holds?

What _did_ he want for the future? So far, the only thing that he could say that _he_ wanted was to be with Ladybug. But even assuming he could pull that off, what then? He has no idea what she wants for her future. Did she want kids at some point? How many? When? Would they move away from Paris after defeating Hawkmoth? What did he plan to do with the rest of his life?

Panic gripped him for a moment before he realized that he ultimately didn’t mind - if Ladybug was at his side, then everything else wouldn’t matter. They’d get through together, and that - he hoped - would be enough.


	27. Dadrien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir has to take care of Ladybug when she gets hit by an akuma's attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by this comic: https://thewritewolf.tumblr.com/post/187008591540/snozzbearart-still-obsessed-with-calicovus
> 
> Give it a read! Its super adorable!

Another day, another akuma so out of control they are even defying Hawkmoth. 

Maybe that explains why they completely lost interest in Chat Noir after he dived after Ladybug. He still had no idea what the akuma’s ability was, but his partner had definitely been hit. Instinct took over after that, but it was only once he landed that he realized that his partner was a lot lighter than she normally was. 

When he finally stopped to look for any injuries, his jaw fell open when he realized he was carrying a little girl, no more than three or four years old. A four year old in magical kwami-granted armor, pigtails, and the biggest, bluest eyes he ever saw. His heart melted even as worry gnawed at his gut. There was no way they could continue to fight like this - and he definitely wasn’t about to drop her off somewhere by herself while this wore off. 

He bit his lower lip, bouncing up and down in place while cradling her in his arms. It had to be temporary, right? And he had no idea where the akuma went anyway. Maybe if he just… kept an eye on her for a while, she’d go back to normal? The day was still young - although not quite as young as Ladybug was at the moment. What were they going to do until then?

“Pway with kitty!” She reached forward, pawing at his ears that stayed just outside her reach. 

“Hey! Young m'lady you can't just go pulling on a distinguished cat's ears!" 

Her only response was an entertained giggle as she stubbornly continued her quest. 

“Okay, maybe we can burn off some of this energy first,” he mumbled mostly to himself as he tightened his grip on her and leapt up onto the roof tops. There was a park he vaguely remembered from his childhood, one that his mom would take him to. 

With the threat of an akuma hanging over people’s heads, the park was unsurprisingly empty. A perfect place for his little lady to exhaust herself while he waited for her to return to normal. However long that took. But he was more than up to the challenge. He was Chat Noir, after all. How hard could watching a four year old be?

The moment Adrien planted himself on a bench, his eyes widened as he watched her running around the open space, narrowly avoiding colliding with various hard, metal playsets as she weaved between them. He immediately sprung to his feet.

“Okay, _technically_, m’lady you are still in a super suit, but you still need to watch where you’re going!” He yelled after her, but she just laughed and kept doing what she was doing. Their time at the park only got more stressful from there.

He let out a _very_ manly screech. "Young M'lady you get AWAY from the fountain!"

Without having anything to dry her with, both her and her kwami could get sick. Thankfully, she changed her course...

“No! You CANNOT play with the pigeons! They might carry you away!"

...right towards a flock of birds. 

It went on like that for nearly an hour and by the end of it, Adrien was feeling more exhausted than little bug was looking. He already felt frazzled and she was still pulling him along by the hand, clearly trying to get… wherever she wanted to go to in a hurry. Which made it all the more jarring when she suddenly changed course to stop and look up at him.

"Kitty? Tummy's growly."

All his previous annoyance with her melted right along with his heart in the face of her pleading expression. It took him a minute to process what she was saying.

"Tummy's... oh! Right. Children need food. And the akuma battle was this morning so you probably didn't get a balanced breakfast."

"Fwench fwies!"

"Now,” he began as he put on his best Stern Parent impersonation, “I don't know who your parents are, but I don't think they'd appreciate- Don't look at me like that, LB. I…” He sighed in defeat. “Fine..."

“Yay!” She started skipping as they walked. 

Was this how she was back then? Carefree and adorable? Or was that just part of the akuma magic? Not for the first time, his heart ached with how little he knew the love of his life. Maybe one day they could share their identities and he could find out all there was to know about her. He had to believe that.

Like the park, the fast food joint was mostly abandoned and the cashier was looking at her phone when Adrien walked in. She glanced up at him, only to do a triple take - once to realize a customer had just arrived and another when it hit her that it was _Chat Noir_. And baby bug. 

Mustering as much charm as he could, he smiled warmly at the bewildered staff. “Hello! Can I get two fries and two drinks?”

“Um… yeah.” The cashier - Katia, if her nametag was accurate - said slowly. “That’ll be five euros.” 

He reached in his pocket and thanked Plagg for magic as five euros from his normal wallet manifested in his hands. He was just about to hand them over when Ladybug pulled on his free arm.

“I wanna buy it!” She frowned in thought and whispered to him. “Pst! Can I pwease borrow some money?”

He shrugged apologetically to Katia and took back his five euros, handing them to Ladybug, who could only barely see over the counter. She clutched them in her tiny fist for a moment before nudging his elbow and holding the euros up to him. Fighting a smile, he took the euros and handed them to Katia, who was thoroughly bemused at this point.

“We’ll, uh, have them out to you two in… just a minute.” She disappeared behind the counter and Adrien took little bug over to one of the booths. He had her sit on the inside to keep her from getting into mischief. 

Thankfully, it proved unnecessary since there was some paper and crayons at the table. She hummed to herself while doodling and he took the opportunity to browse the Ladyblog. Maybe Alya had spotted the akuma while he’d been busy taking care of Ladybug. 

He hadn’t found anything by the time their food arrived. From the way her eyes lit up when her fries were put in front of her, it was just as much a treat for her as it was for him. Father would never approve of him having fast food, after all. 

“Kitty, here! This for you!”

His attention floated back to her and his heart melted when he saw the crude crayon drawing of a him and a mini Ladybug at the park. They seemed to be having a lot of fun. 

“Aww, thank you, little bug. I’ll love it forever!” He took one last tender look at it before carefully folding it up and staching it in his pocket. 

They finished their meal and Adrien hoisted her up onto his shoulders once they were out of the restaurant. He wandered back through the park and could feel Ladybug getting antsy above him. That didn’t bother him too much until he heard her start to sniffle. 

“Hey,” he said in as soothing a voice as he could, “what’s the hubbub about, bug? Aren’t you having fun?”

“I wanna go home!” She sniffled. “Wanna see papa a-and momma!” 

He held her close, heart breaking. It was easy for him to forget that she had a family to go back to.

“I know, little lady, I know. But you have to be Ladybug until we can get you back to normal, okay?”

"Don't wanna be Wadybug anymore! I'm Mawinette!" 

The world froze in time for one brief moment. There was a feeling of something shattering. Later, Adrien would assume that was him breaking through the enchantment on the miraculous. For now, he was too stunned to form a reply. Instead, he just held her close while she cried. Her tears pulled him out of his stupor before long and he tightened her hold on him. 

“I’m sorry, Marinette…” He gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

He was startled again when she became enveloped in a flash of light. When he was done blinking the spots out of his eyes, he noticed that there were still a lot of spots in front of him - except these were the much more familiar black-on-red spots he was used to. The unexpected weight toppled him over and both him and a restored Ladybug tumbled to the ground. 

“Geez, kitty, and I thought I was the clumsy one.” She disentangled herself from him and stood tall. Well, as tall as she usually stood. “What happened? Where did the akuma go?”

“You… don’t remember?” It was a struggle to get any words out, but he was doing his best. 

“Well, I got hit by the akuma, you caught me, and you just fell…” She looked around and her brow furrowed. “Does the akuma have teleportation powers? Weird.” She waved him on. “Let’s go find them before they can cause any more harm, Chat Noir!”

She swung off, leaving Adrien to stare blankly after her. 

How was he going to break the news to her?


	28. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wakes up from a nightmare

_He lunged forward, crashing onto the ground as he nearly threw himself over the edge. His hand reached out, desperately grasping for her, fingers grazing her as she fell in slow motion. For one moment that lasted an eternity, deep blue eyes met his. He could see himself reflected crystal clear as lightning crackled behind him. There was fear in those eyes… and anger. An accusation._

_You should have been faster. Better. _

_I was counting on you and you let me down._

_This is your fault. This is all your fault._

_The moment passes and she is swallowed into a darkness so deep that even he can’t see through it. Tears fall, consumed by the pouring rain as a man’s laughter booms like thunder around him._

\-------------

Adrien woke up in a cold sweat. His pillow was wet with tears and as he sat up, he realized that his face was too. Kicking off his sheets, he sat on the edge of his bed and let his feet land on the cold ground. He held his face in his hands as he sucked in desperate, shuddering breaths. 

The shadows of his room were usually comforting, soothing. But with the lingering guilt echoing in the back of his mind, they felt suffocating. Whispering his worst fears back to him. As he sat there, he realized he was trembling and tried to will himself to stop. It was no use. Just like he’d almost been no use. Even a week later and that fight was still causing him no end of restless nights.

A glance at the clock confirmed his fears. It was barely one in the morning, only a few hours into his long-delayed sleep. She would definitely be asleep right now. Biting his lower lip, he tried to resist, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed to at least hear her voice. He’d never be able to get back to sleep if he didn’t. 

Although he agonized over it while his thumb hovered over the call button, the phone was ringing now and the damage was done. After two rings, someone picked up.

“Hello?” A groggy voice on the other end croaked out. “Kitty, do you _know_ what time it is…?”

A fresh stab of regret lanced his heart. This was selfish of him. It definitely sounded like he woke her up. He shouldn’t have done this.

“Y-yeah, I know,” he rubbed the back of his neck as he struggled to fight back the tears. He’d heard her voice, but the fear and dread and panic was still swirling through the background of his mind. “I just…” He trailed off, already feeling guilty.

There was a long moment of silence. “Another nightmare?” Her voice was quiet and tender. 

He nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak before he finally managed to squeeze a simple, “Yes,” out of the tightness of his throat.

There was a sound of shuffling on the other end. “Give me a minute.”

Then she hung up and Adrien was alone again. He took a deep, calming breath. She’d call back any minute now. He drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them. She probably just needed to get a drink or something. They’d talk for a little bit and then they could go to bed. He’d be fine in the morning. He just needed to get through tonight. 

The seconds dragged into minutes and after ten minutes his phone remained stubbornly silent. His thoughts had turned pessimistic. It was late, after all. No doubt she had gone to bed, or just accidentally fallen asleep. Either way, he should follow suit. Laying on top of his blankets, he curled up and tried to close his eyes.

Only for snippets of the fight to replay in darkness. 

He turned to lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. A tap at the window drew his attention and before he could answer, the window swung open noiselessly. Ladybug stepped into his room, the most welcome sight he could imagine, and that was before he noticed the bag slung over her shoulder. The moment she closed the window, he picked her up as he pulled her into a desperately crushing hug.

She returned the hug and murmured into his chest, “Oh, kitty. It was a bad one, wasn’t it?” When he didn’t respond, she rubbed circles into his back. “Take all the time you need, chaton. I’ve got all night.”

“I’m sorry I woke you up…”

“Hey.” She pulled away and looked up into his eyes, the red of her mask making her blue eyes stand out all the more. “Don’t you dare be sorry. You needed me and here I am.” She tugged him by the hand over to his couch. “Now come on, I’ve got a couple movies we can watch so we don’t have to sit in the dark.”

A few minutes later and the two of them were watching a movie, both of them bundled up in a big black blanket with neon green trim. A project that Marinette had been working on, and now an early gift. Adrien rested his head on Ladybug’s lap as her fingers ran through his hair. 

Sleep came for him a second time that night and this time, there were no nightmares.


	29. Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is mad at his father and needs some help getting back at him.

Adrien slammed the car door as he was let out onto the steps of the school. Which he immediately regretted - the Gorilla didn’t have anything to do with this latest spat between Adrien and his father. It was unfair of him to take out his frustration like that. But what else could Adrien do besides these little acts of petty anger? Maybe he’d go for a run tonight as Chat Noir to blow off some steam. 

As usual, Nino was waiting for him at the base of the stairs and Adrien tried his best to school his face into a pleasant mask. There wasn’t anything his best friend could do about these latest developments either, so there was no point in worrying him needlessly. 

“Hey, Nino. What’s up?” He held out his fist, but the expected bump never came. Instead, Nino was watching his face with a frown.

“What’s the matter, bro? You feelin’ alright?” 

“Yeah, I-” Nino raised his eyebrow and Adrien dropped the act, slumping over as they walked up the stairs. “Okay, fine, you got me. Father and I had another argument. It’s not anything important.”

A hand fell onto his shoulder and Adrien looked over to see Nino watching him with concern and a bit of anger. “Dude, don’t give me that. It obviously got to you, which makes it important. What can I do to help make it better?”

“I don’t think there’s anything-” Adrien thought back to the argument. How his father was tightening his grip on Adrien’s schedule, closing the rare gaps of free time that remained. An unfamiliar feeling bubbled up inside him - rebelliousness. “Actually, I think there is something you can do.” They sat down at their desks, plenty of time before school started and with half of their class still not present. “Can you help me dye my hair?”

Nino blinked at him before chuckling. “You know what? I’m not even gonna question it.” Lifting his hat, he ran his hand over his short black hair. “Not much I can do to help you there, but…” He pulled out his phone. “...I might know someone. Or, better yet, multiple someones.”

“That sounds awesome! When can we do it?!”

His fingers hovered over the keyboard of his phone. “You free after school today?”

“With a couple of excuses I can be.”

“Sweet.” He draped an arm over Adrien’s shoulders after he finished his texting. “We’re gonna get this done, my dude.”

\-----------------------

Hours later, Adrien found himself on the Couffaine house boat. Specifically, sitting on a chair next to a sink with Rose and Juleka hovering over him. Juleka was already slipping on a pair of gloves while Rose was cooing over a collection of hair dyes. 

“Did you have any idea what sort of color you wanted?” Rose asked over her shoulder.

Adrien shook his head as Juleka tied a cape around his front. “No. Definitely not something natural, though. I’m trying to send a message here.”

A small smile found its way onto Juleka’s face. “Wow, sunshine really does have a rebel streak in him.” She joined Rose by the wall of dyes and picked one off the shelf. “How about this one?”

“Just because you two have rocked blue before doesn’t mean it would look good on him, love.”

“Yeah, I suppose. Bright red doesn’t feel right either.”

There was a tiny gasp. “What about this one?”

“Rose, I don’t-”

“No, we’re _doing_ this. He’ll be so… cute! Well,” Rose flashed a bright smile back to Adrien, “more than he already was.”

“Well…” Juleka fiddled with her bracelet for a moment. “...sure. Let’s do this.”

The process took longer than Adrien was anticipating, but that just meant that he got some time to chat with Juleka and Rose. But as more time passed, he began to grow restless. They wanted the color to be a surprise and now he was getting worried. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. 

After two hours, after the washing and blow drying and a bit of styling, he was finally allowed to look in a mirror. 

Staring back at him was a pink haired version of himself. A slow smile dawned on his face as all his worries vanished.

Rose appeared at his side, nervously fidgeting with her hands. “Do you like it? How does it feel? Is it everything you wanted?” 

“It’s perfect! Thank you!” He stood to pull out his wallet. “What do I owe you?”

Juleka scoffed. “Don’t worry about it, sunshine. Just do me a favor in return, alright?”

“Sure! What do you want?”

“Stop by Marinette’s to show it off. I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of it.”

\---------------

Rose and Juleka waved him off as Adrien made his way toward the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

“Jules… you’re going to give Marinette a heart attack.”

“I think she’ll appreciate it.”

“Well… it _is_ romantic… And I’m sure she will be glad to see him.”

“You’re missing the most important part.”

“What’s that?”

“You were right,” Juleka said with a grin. “Pink hair is way cute on him.”

Rose sighed. “I hope Marinette isn’t holding anything important when he gets there…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired, of course, by buggachat's pink Adrien AU (link below). It will always hold a special place in my heart. 
> 
> https://buggachat.tumblr.com/post/176496698011/adrien-buys-some-temporary-hair-dye-in-an-act-of


	30. Tropical Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long akuma battle, Chat Noir tries to make Ladybug feel better.

The swarm of ladybugs did its work and the physical injuries they had taken in the long, grueling fight were erased from one moment to the next. The two of them rose above the streets of Paris, leaving the swarming reporters and their questions far behind them. As usual, Adrien was content to let his lady lead the way. Before long, they stood high above the city and stared out at the sinking sun as it began its dip over the horizon. 

Ladybug plopped down inelegantly, unconcerned with appearances when it was just the two of them. Her head fell into her hands as she let out a long, tired groan. He collapsed next to her, the exhaustion in his bones finally taking hold as he spread out on the rooftop. The miraculous cure was a wonderful thing, but it only healed injuries and did nothing for their aching muscles. 

“These fights are getting worse, Chat Noir,” Ladybug grumbled into her hands. Even so, his excellent hearing picked up every word.

“Not all of them.” He kept his voice as chipper as he could. “After all, we faced Mr Pidgeon twice last week. We even almost beat our record for beating him the quickest.”

“Yeah… I guess so.”

Adrien sat up on his elbows to look at her. She was still hunched over, staring into space. It was clear to him that she was over thinking things again. While that was certainly the source of all her off-the-wall brilliant ideas, it was more of a hindrance outside of battle. What she needed was someone to pull her out of her train of thought before she worked herself into a bad mood. 

“Hey, bugaboo?”

“Don’t call me that,” she said, more out of reflex than genuine dislike. Her eyes landed on him as he sat up next to her. “What is it?”

“We should run off together.”

She snorted. “What are you talking about?”

“Me and you! Chat Noir and Ladybug going on vacation! It’ll be great.”

“Chat,” she said sternly, but he could already see a smile tugging at her lips. “This is serious.”

“I _am_ serious.” He put an arm around her and pulled her into a side hug while gesturing with his other hand. “Imagine it - you and me, out on some beach somewhere. The glistening of the ocean as it danced in the sunlight. The sound of the waves beating against the sand. The smell of the salty wind.” He winked at her. “A handsome cat at your side. Maybe helping you put some sunscreen on your back.”

She pushed him back by the nose and smirked. “Oh, so we aren’t in our suits then? Is this a roundabout way of trying to find out who I am?”

“Of course not! We’d be wearing masks, obviously. Our secret identities are _very_ important.”

Giggling, she replied, “So what, we’d be two people sitting on a beach wearing masks? Don’t you think that would be a little suspicious?”

He waved his hand as if warding off the argument. “Plenty of folks love us. Would it be such a surprise to people if some of our fans made it to the beach?”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “What about Hawkmoth?”

“Well,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “If you really want to invite him, then I wouldn’t say no, but he _is_ our archnemesis. I’d feel weird going to the beach with him.”

She doubled over laughing and shoved his arm. He watched with a smile as she lost herself to a giggle fit, patting her on the back as it wore on. Eventually, she managed to compose herself.

As she wiped away a tear, she said, “You’re ridiculous, kitty.”

“Maybe. But I’m _your_ ridiculous kitty.”

“Mhmm,” she hummed in agreement. “I guess you are.” Her hand slipped to his opposite cheek and she pressed a quick peck to the side of his face. “I’ve got to go, but… thanks, Chat. I needed a good laugh.” She smiled and waved and then was sailing over Paris with her yoyo.

Adrien sat there for a while longer, his claws gently grazing the spot where her lips touched his face. A blush just barely managed to peek out from under his mask.


	31. Kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is rudely awakened by a kitten.

Adrien awoke to the sensation of a tiny, furry paw pressing against his cheek and a tiny meow struggling to get his attention. With great reluctance he opened his eyes. The late morning sunlight was filtering in through the tall windows and illuminated the black kitten, giving it a halo of light as it sat on his chest. While his fingers idly stroked the feline, his eyes widened in sudden panic.

It was late in the morning. Shouldn’t someone have woke him up already? Surely he had a photoshoot, an early fencing lesson, _something_. He didn’t just… have days off.

And a kitten! He wasn’t allowed to have pets of any kind, let alone cats. His father would throw a fit if he found it here. 

A body moved beside him as he was gripped with a heart stopping fear. Slender but strong arms wrapped around him and Marinette pressed her face into the crook of his neck. Confusion diluted with tender affection reigned. 

It all came rushing back to him. He didn’t live in the Agreste mansion anymore - he hadn’t for years. Not since… well, it had been a while. He was living happily in marital bliss with the love of his life, going on three years now. The best years of his life… so far. With Marinette, it was sure to be outdone eventually. She always had a way with surpassing his expectations. It has been a long time since he’s had to get up early on a consistent basis, something he was grateful for as he buried his nose into Marinette’s wild hair. 

After receiving a few more scritches, the kitten seemed content to curl up on the pillow and fall asleep, leaving Adrien’s hands free to hold onto his wife. He closed his eyes, knowing that he wasn’t going to be falling asleep now - the panic had washed away any lingering fatigue that he’d been feeling. But… with the birds singing outside, and the sunlight falling onto his skin, and the warmth of his love pressed close to him… this was something he didn’t want to let go of soon. 

His grip tightens ever so slightly. He was thankful that his lovebug was by his side, and he looked forward to seeing what the future held for them. 

...After he was done enjoying this moment in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we reach the end of Adrien AUG-Reste, as well as the end of my six-month long run with monthly prompts. A run that fittingly started with Marinette March and ends with Adrien August. I hope that those of you who found this collection will take the time to read my other monthly prompts - the four love square months each became their own stories, while Marinette March is a collection of one shots like this one.
> 
> It was an interesting experience that really tested me and I think I've emerged from it as a better writer. If you worried about me vanishing now, then you've got nothing to fear - I have a lot of WIP that I've been wanting to get to for months now. Not to mention continuing True Sight soon. Here in the next couple days I'll be posting a new story called "Four Time (and the Lucky One)" - so keep an eye out for that.
> 
> For those of you who have been here since Marinette March - thank you for sticking with me! It was one hell of a run, hasn't it?
> 
> Thank you all for reading! 💖


End file.
